Worlds Collide
by quidilia.britt
Summary: What if Clary listened to her mother before java jones. What if she learned about the shadow world that day? What if she willingly moved into the institute? Clary's mom never goes missing, she stays and trains and soon finds her self falling for golde locks. all is great, or is it? Read and find out if you dare.
1. Chapter 1

**ok so this starts mid chapter two after luke says "tell her joselyn". **

**my changes:**

**Robert and Max went to Idris****  
**

**there is no Hodge so Maryce stayed.****  
**

**izzy is a bit more girly and forgiving**

* * *

"Tell her, Jocelyn," Luke said firmly and left. They have been arguing over telling me something, and I'm starting to get fed up with it. I went to my room intending to grab my sketch book and pencils, but there was a knock on my door and my mother peeked her head in."Clary?" she asked.

"What do you want, mom?" I replied, completely exasperated with the whole ordeal.

"Can we talk?" she asked hesitantly.

"Listen, I'm going to Java Jones with Simon in a few. He'll be here any minute," I said as I walked out of my room and towards the front door of the apartment.

"Clary, it's important," she said in a serious tone.

"No, I have to go. We can talk later," I said coldly, pushing down my curiosity as I put on my coat.

"It's about your heritage," she said in one last attempt to get me to stay. That definitely got my attention. I know next to nothing about my father, my grandparents, or anything about my moms childhood. The only thing I know about my father is that he dies when I was young; my mom refuses to talk about him. I continued to put my jacket on, slowly, and when I was finished, I pulled my hair out of the collar and turned to face her. She looked desperate.

"I'm listening," I say cautiously. She lets out a breath of relief and her shoulders sag, an unseen weight lifted off of them.

"Let's sit down," she says and gestures towards the living area. I shake my head in defiance.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me right here," I cross my arms over my chest.

She takes a deep breath. "Clary, I haven't been telling you the truth," she says. "There's a lot about us that you don't know about." She gestured between the two of us.

"So I can tell," I say in mild annoyance. I grab my boots that are laying by the door and start to pull them on.

"We're not a part of this world," I paused while in the middle of lacing up one of the boots. Not a part of this world? What the hell? I thought.

"What do you mean I'm not 'part of this world'?" I asked. She's finally going crazy. She's lost it.

"That's what I have to talk to you about," she started. "Will you let me explain?" She seemed so serious about her statement, and the look in her eyes was honest. When I still didn't move, she continued."You need to know," she breathed. I went over to the couch and took a seat. Mom followed and sat beside me at an angle, taking one of my hands in hers.

"The world that I brought you up in is not the one you belong to. I raised you around the world of mundanes," before I could ask what a mundane was, my mom explained. Mundanes are part of the human world, mortals, humans, whichever you want to call them. You and I are part of a race called Nephilim, otherwise known as shadow hunters. Nephilim are part angel, part human. Our job is to protect the mundane world, to hunt and kill demons.

"They are real Clary, very real. Everything is true. From vampires and werewolves to faeries and warlocks. All of the stories are true. I hid this world from you to protect you. Every three years or so, I would take you to see Magnus Bane, a warlock, who would clear your memories of the shadow world," she paused to look at me.

"Shadow World?" I ask in a shaky, fearful voice.

"The world of all the myths. Everything."

"And- and you just took away all my memories?" I asked in disbelief, getting up from the couch. My voice dropped to a whisper of betrayal. "How could you do that to me?"

"I did it to protect you, Clary. Everything I do is to protect you," Jocelyn said back in a hurt tone.

"From what? What where you trying to protect me from that is worth stealing my memories?!" Now I was slightly yelling.

"Your father," were the only words my mother spoke in return.

"My father is dead. But then again, it looks like that was probably a lie, too," I say back coldly.

"No, he is very much alive. I left him when I was still pregnant with you. He was not the kind of father that I wanted you to be raised by. You have a brother too, Clary," she says, and a look of pure sorrow crosses her face, one of loss.

"A-a brother?" I asked in shock.

"His name is Johnathan. Johnathan Christopher Morgenstern. I left your father because while was pregnant with Johnathan, he spiked my food with demon blood. It made me sick, but it didn't harm me. The damage was meant for you brother. When he was born, he had eyes blacker than Hell. He absorbed the demon blood.

"I pretend not to notice and I went along with it for the first two years. As he grew older, his humanity was was fading, leaving a demon in my little boy's body. I couldn't let him do that again, and I left with you. Luke followed me here to help us build a new life," she said solemnly. The look of loss remained on her face. I sat there in complete shock, trying to absorb all of the information that she has poured out to me. I look up to meet my moms eyes, and I can tell that she has more to say. I nod, urging her to continue.

"I never wanted you to know about all of this. I wanted you to have a normal life, but you have a right to know. I can't keep taking away your memories. You're a shadow hunter Clary, you're part of a world that you can't even begin to imagine," she said with some sort of wonder in her eyes.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I ask incredulously.

"Because it's your life, Clary. You're old enough to make your own decisions. Do you want to become a part of this world? If you do, I can arrange training for you. It will be a lot of work, and you won't be able to go back to normal school, you won't be able to go back once you choose. You can try it out, but if you don't find it to your liking, it will be almost impossible to go back to normal," she says with tears in her eyes.

"I want to train," is all I could say before there was a knock on the door. "Simon!" I yelled in realization; I almost forgot about him.

"One minute!" my mom yelled towards the door.

"Ok! I'll just stand out here with Eric!" Simon shouted back.

"Clary, do you still want to go out or do you want to stay home?" my mother asked.

"Stay," I said. I wasn't feeling great and definitely didn't want to go out after learning about all of this. My mom got up and went to answer the door for me.

"I'm sorry Simon, Clary's not feel well, she has a fever and an upset stomach," my mom says in a very convincing voice.

"Are you sure?" Simon asked, always worrying for me. I did my best to make my voice rough and raspy, but as it turns out, it was already like that with un-shed tears. "Simon, I'm sorry I can't make it. I'll call you later," I called out, happy with how my voice turned out.

"Alright, fell better!" he called and left with a good-bye.

"Bye," my mom and I said in sync.

After she closed the door, she went and grabbed the phone, dialing a number while walking back towards me.

"Maryse Lightwood speaking," said a voice on the other line.

"Hello, Maryse? This is Jocelyn. Jocelyn Fairchild," mom said, using a surname that I've never heard before.

"Jocelyn? How are you? To what do I owe the pleasure?" the woman on the other end said. Jocelyn laughed lightly.

"I'm fine thank you. I know this is sudden, but my daughter Claris-" and the other woman, Maryse cut her off. I could hear an animated voice asking questions.

"Yes, my daughter. I can explain some other time," and then more speaking by the other woman.

"I just told her about her heritage," Jocelyn continued, trying to tell the woman about my lack of knowledge without really having to tell her.

"That's why I called. She has no training and I would like for to receive proper tutoring and training. She has a lot to catch up on," mom said lightly and glanced at me nervously. I smiled and nodded, letting her know that I was alright.

"Oh, of course! We would love to have Clarissa here. Does she need a room prepared?" Maryse asked. My mother looked at me questioning me with the silent eyes. I thought about it for a minute, and decided that if I wanted to learn quicker, it would be the best to move to the so-called Institute. I told her that I would stay there. I'll have to ask her exactly what this Institute place is.

"She says she would like to stay at the Institute."

"No problem. When do you think she would want to move in?" Maryse asked professionally.

"Tomorrow?" mother said, and I was shocked that it would be so soon. What about Simon? And the rest of my art classes? I don't even know where the Institute is.

"Of course! I will have my children prepare a room to be ready by noon tomorrow," the other woman said kindly.

"Thank you so much, I know it's such short notice," Jocelyn says worriedly.

"The Institute is open to any shadow hunter, at anytime. Especially those in need," Maryse says, and I have a feeling that it is a sort of motto for them.

Jocelyn quickly said good-bye and hung up. She got up to put the house phone away, and she came back with boxes in her arms. "Ready to pack?" I nodded my head and went with my mother to pack the necessities. Clothes, toiletries, a blanket or so, my favorite pillow, my art supplies and couple of books went into various labeled boxes. Once we finished packing, it was late and I wanted nothing more than to crawl under my comforter and go to sleep. I did just that. I crawled under the blankets of my bed where my mother had fallen asleep already. Together we were sent off into a land of sleep, awaiting tomorrows plans.

Jace POV:

Maryse thought that I should go find the girl from Pandemonium last night, the girl who could see through our glamour. I wandered the streets looking for an clues. Soon, I found her rat-faced mundane friend entering a café called Java Jones. As soon as I entered, I was greeted by someones horrible poetry. I followed him with a glamour on. He had another guy with him, so I listened to their conversation once they took a seat on a couch.

"Eric, aren't you going up soon?" said the one named Simon.

"Naw, I have like two acts before me still. Did something seem off about Clary to you?" Eric asked. They must be talking about the red-headed girl from the club.

"Yeah. I don't think she's actually sick, she sounded fine when I talked on the phone with her, but then we show up and her mother is saying she has a fever," Simon said to his friend. Some part of me was glad Clary turned him down, but at the same time, I felt my self worrying for the small red-head that came stumbling in on us last night. I don't even know the girl. I shook it off and continued to eavesdrop.

"I don't know, whatever but I gotta go. I'm up next," Eric gets up.

"Knock 'em dead!" the geeky boy says with a thumbs up.

After that I decided there was nothing interesting left to be heard, so I left. When I stepped out of the café, my phone started buzzing in my pocket.

"Hello?" I said. Maryse's usually cool voice came over the phone sounding excited.

"Jace, can you come home?" she asked.

"Why? I'm still looking for the girl," I frowned. She's the one that sent me, and now she already wants me home.

"Don't question me. Just come home. I have a few chores for you to do," she snapped, her happy demeanor gone. I narrowed my eyes even though she couldn't see me.

"What kind of 'chores'?" I asked skeptically. Isabelle must have taken the phone, because I was suddenly being told to get my ass home before she shoved her heeled foot up it. I winced at the threat.

"Fine, I'll be there in a few," I said, hung up, and started my trek back to the Institute.

By the time I got back, it was around noon. I went up the elevator, only to find Izzy waiting in the foyer.

"About damn time! Come on. Mom wants to talk to us," she said a dragged me by my wrist unwillingly into the library. Alec, my parabatai was sitting on a couch next to our cat Church. I moved the cat to the floor and took his spot. He looked up at me and hissed in anger at my disturbance.

"Shoo!" I hissed back, swatting him with my hand. He huffed and left, swishing his tail lazily. Isabelle was sitting next to our mother, well my adoptive mother. Alec and Isabelle were her real children, and her and Robert Lightwood adopted me when I was young.

"Tomorrow we are getting another addition to the Institute," she started. I watched as every one groaned and rolled their eyes. Maryse's voice grew louder to stop our protests. "She will be staying here and training with each of you." So it's a she? I thought with a smirk.

"Care to elaborate about this mysterious girl?" I said, growing impatient.

"Watch your tone," she said and continued. "Her name is Clarissa Fray." Could it be Clary? Would the little red-head be moving in? The idea fascinated me, but I brushed it off. "She is 15 and believe it or not, she has never received any type of training before in her life. She will begin as a level one shadow hunter. She will start and finish her training here. I'm putting you three in charge of setting up a room for her." I could see Isabelle's excitement at another girl in the place. She was struggling to keep a grin off of her face. "She will be moving in tomorrow around noon. I want all of you to be on your best behavior, and be ready at the front door by then," she finished and dismissed us.

Isabelle dragged us all to the residential wing and brought us to an empty room next to mine and across from hers. We all stood in the room and listened to her ramble on about decorations.

"Some paint, some furniture, some throw rugs," she said and turned to us. "Know what that means?" she asked with a mischievous grin so big it could only be painful.

"Shopping," Alec and I complained together. Shopping with Isabelle Lightwood has to be one of the worst things ever.

"Shopping!" Izzy squealed. She grabbed our hands once again and gave us orders to go get coats. We left the Institute and took the subway to Brooklyn in search of a store called Ikea. The rooms all had plain, cheap furniture, a closet, and a bathroom, but since she was staying for a long time, Isabelle and Maryse wanted her to feel at home. Whatever she had planned on doing there, it was obviously a woman's job. She grabbed one of the abnormally huge shopping carts and moved on into the store with us following.

We wandered over to the bedding section and she pulled out a pen and paper to write the code numbers for each item she found. She tended to stick to girly things with lots of pinks, purples, whites, and some blacks. I don't know why, but none of the stuff she pulled seemed like Clary if it was even her. I started to look around when I found a pen and paper be shoved into my hands by Isabelle.

"If you're going to look around, you might as well make yourself useful and write down the codes," she said and pranced off to write down more items.

I thought back to the club, trying to remember what she was wearing. I think she wore cuffed jeans, a graphic tee with a flannel shirt unbuttoned over it. She also had on boots and a blue fake leather-looking jacket thrown on top. She looked like the type of girl to settle for things that where calm, not all frilly and girly like the things that Isabelle was picking out. I found a cool round chair that hangs from the ceiling and wrote down the code. Next, I found a bed set that was on sale. It was a dark wooden queen-sized bed with a mathcing dresser and who nightstands.

I found Isabelle looking at desks that seemed to be an okay choice for Clary. I nodded and told Isabelle to get it. We soon wandered off to the storage room where you could hand in your codes so that they could prep the materials. After arguing with Izzy about what to get, we ended making a compromise. We got my hanging chair and bed set with her desk and matching chair. We thought we were done until she found and a pale tan-pink fuzzy rug. She put that in the cart along with some plain white sheets.

We went over to the warlock that was working the cash register. He was glamored so all of the shopping mundanes only saw him as a normal person. When it was our turn to check out, we all showed our runes and to fake the cameras watching us, we handed him a fake credit card, which he also pretend to scan. The warlock led us to the back again, and we went into the empty storage room where all of our furniture waited.

The warlock opened a portal for us and waited as we lugged every item through it and inside the Institute. We thanked and paid him for his service, and went back through the portal one last time. We ate dinner, take-out as usual, with Maryse and went to set up the room after we finished.

Alec went to grab the tool kit we kept laying around for random uses such as these, and we quickly assembled the bed, desk, dresser, and shelves. Isabelle sat off to the side and told us where to put things while we did all the hard labor. Once we had the bed set up, she put on the sheets and comforter while we hung up the swinging chair. Soon enough, we had all of the furniture assembled and cleaned up the empty boxes and wrappers. Isabelle laid the fuzzy rug onto the old, dark wooden floor, and we stepped back to admire the handiwork.

Thanks to Isabelle, all of the colors matched and it looked pretty good. Before we had even started anything, Isabelle had painted the walls a metallic gold-looking color. More than once had we all bumped into the still wet walls; Isabelle would yell at us before taking the paint roller and touching it up again. We opened the windows and left all of the furniture a couple of inches from the wall so that the paint could dry fully by tomorrow.

"It looks great, Iz," Alec commented as we left the room. She smiled proudly.

"Of course it looks good! I designed it!" she laughed and I playfully shoved her for not thanking us for all of the work we did. Everyone was exhausted, so we each went to our rooms. I don't know about Isabelle or Alec, but I stayed in my paint and saw dust covered clothes, too tired to change. I fell asleep the second my head hit the pillow.

All to soon, the sun was up and we had to get ready. I quickly took a shower, brush my teeth, and ran my hand through my hair a couple of times, letting it dry into my normal 'messy' look. I quickly changed into dark-wash jeans and a black, tight fitting T-shirt.I went downstairs to grab something to eat, and I found Izzy animatedly talking to Alec, who seemed groggy from lack of sleep.

"I'm sooo excited! I hope she likes her room!" Isabelle says and fidgets in her seat.

"She sure as hell better like it, or at least appreciate it after all the work we put into it," Alec says as he slowly eats a granola bar. We chat for a while, eating and laughing together.

I look up at the clock hanging above the entryway to the kitchen. 11:30 already? The new girl would be here soon, and my stomach knew it. What the hell? Since when do I get butterflies? Men do not get butterflies, I thought to myself. I don't even know the girl, and she's making me nervous.

Maryse called to us from the foyer, and we all jumped up to meet her. Maryse stood by the elevator wearing was wearing a pants-suit, black heels and had her hair pulled back in a severely tight bun. She nodded to us silently in greeting, and we piled into the elevator, pressing the down button as we went. The car moved extremely slow, sliding downwards, and my heart seemed to pound in my chest in excitement and apprehension.

We walked through the old chapel, Maryse in the front, and went outside into the gray New York weather. We stood for only a few minutes before an old truck rounded the corner and slowed to a stop at the curb. We all watched anxiously and it lurched to a stop and the doors on both sides on the truck opened. Out of the passenger door came a woman of about Maryse's age with curly red hair placed in a loose bun, the opposite of Maryse's. A man with dark hair peppered with gray came around the truck and grabbed a box from the truck bed.

Finally, a small girl with the same red hair as the older woman came into our view. She could be no taller than five foot, and I could see that it was the same girl from Pandemonium; that would explain why she could see us, but had no clue who, or what, we were. Clarissa Fray was an unmarked shadow hunter. I never thought that our worlds would collide again.


	2. Chapter 2

Previously:

Finally, a small girl with the same red hair as the older woman came into our view. She could be no taller than five foot, and I could see that it was the same girl from Pandemonium; that would explain why she could see us, but had no clue who, or what, we were. Clarissa Fray was an unmarked shadow hunter. I never thought that our worlds would collide again.

Clary POV:

I helped load my packed belongings into Luke's ancient truck. After one last look at my moms apartment, I shut and locked the door, leaving it behind for an indefinite amount of time. We took off and drove through the packed streets, everyone honking at each other in haste of the midday lunch rush. The time crawled by slowly, slower than it really is, my subconscious told me. We drove over the Brooklyn Bridge and down the streets of Manhattan in the still-heavy traffic.

Finally after what felt like eons, we pulled up along the curb of a run-down looking church on a more residential street. The place was a complete dump, as far as I could tell. I really had higher hopes than this, that's for sure. When I voiced this to my mom and Luke, they laughed and my mom explained it to me.

"There's a glamour on the building; what you're seeing is what the mundanes see: a run-down, abandoned church. Look closer, Clary. Concentrate, and you'll see it," she said, and then left the cab to grab boxes. The longer I looked at it and really concentrated, I realized I was horribly mistaken. What really lay ahead was a beautiful Gothic-styled building that looked to be a cross between a castle and a church, in my opinion. It was a beautiful pearly white color, making it look ethereal and angelic. Across the arching wrought-iron gates was something written in Latin- what it meant was beyond me. I said 'Pluvis et Umbra Sumus'. Black and gold marks of some sort decorated the building in some spots, like by the great wooden doors, and also woven into the metal fencing surrounding the place. My hands itched to draw the sight before me, to capture the beauty of the centuries-old church. I wanted so much to just sit out on the front lawn with a blanket, and draw, letting my mind wander and my hands flow freely.

The slamming of Luke's tailgate brought me out of my incessant day dreaming, and I looked out the window to see that all of my boxes sat on the steps before the large entrance. My eyes wandered up from the boxes and found four people standing near the boxes that Luke and mom set down. There was middle-aged woman, about my mother's age, who I assumed to be Maryse, the person in charge. Beside her stood three vaguely familiar teenagers. Upon scrutiny, I recognized them as the three at Pandemonium, the ones who killed the blue-haired boy. I instinctively sunk down in my seat, but my mother was already at the driver's side door, ready to retrieve me.

She gave me a reassuring smile, but the worry in her eyes was still evident. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" she asked. I silently nodded my head and hopped down from the cab, and slowly followed her around and up the steps to the Institute.

"Hello Clarissa, I'm Maryse, the head of the Institute. These are my children, Isabelle, Alec, and Jace," she said kindly, but she had an air about her that told me that she was all-business. The girl- Isabelle- smiled at me and said hi. The boys nodded in greeting, and I felt my eyes drawn back to Jace, the golden-haired boy from the club. He wore a tight-fitted V-neck shirt that showed off his lean muscles, along with a dark pair of jeans slung obviously low on his hips. He smirked at me when I looked at him, and of course, my face decided to show the world my embarrassment.

"Just Clary, please," I correct Maryse kindly and she smile and nods her head in return. "Isabelle will show you to your room, and the boys can help you with the boxes," she said, directing the last part towards Luke. Isabelle turned and walked through what looked like an old chapel covered in dust from the obvious lack of use. Maryse followed suit, as did Jocelyn and I. Down a row of pews we went, straight to a back wall that held what looked like an old-fashioned elevator. Isabelle wrenched open the gate of the ancient contraption and stepped inside. It was pretty small, so just the four of us went up first. Once we reached the correct floor, Maryse said a quiet good-bye and departed.

"So this is the entryway," Isabelle said and gestured around us. Along one wall ran a coat rack, with several leather jackets and other various items hung on it. A pair of boots even sat underneath it, covered in dried mud. "C'mon, I'll show you the kitchen and dining room so you know where it is," she said and took my hand, dragging me along with her. My mom chuckled silently and my look that pleaded for her help. "Alright, here's the kitchen," she said and pointed to a door way that led to the dining room. She also told me where I could find snack items, and anything else I might need.

Finally she led us through a maze of hall, with many twists and turns, until we reached a heavy-looking wooden door that stood open. Inside were Luke, Alec, and Jace, setting down boxes near the door. I didn't even see them anywhere in the hall, but then again, this place _is_ like a maze. "My room is right across the hall, she says, pointing to a door with a pink sign that said "Izzy" on it. Jace's is right next to yours, and Alec's is two doors down," she says and points to each, respectively.

"Thanks for showing me around, Isabelle," I say, looking up at the tall girl. She smiles broadly and waves a hand dismissively.

"I'm just glad to have another girl around here!" she says with a laugh. I looked at Alec, who is now conversing with Jace. He looks up at him intently, as if seeing not only the golden-haired boys, but seeing into his soul. I found the look he gave Jace peculiar, but brushed it off. Not my business, anyways.

I shook my head as if to clear my thoughts like an Etch-a-Sketch, and raised my eyes to look at the room before me. The gold painted walls brightened the room and gave it a cheery, yet mysterious look at the same time. A large bed sat in the middle of one wall, resting in a simple dark wooden frame, with matching night stands and a dresser. There were simple cream sheets made on the made that completed it, as if anything else would ruin the look. I spotted a spherical chair that hung by a chain from the ceiling, near the window and smiled. _I've always wanted something like that_. I also saw a desk in one corner, overlooking another window. It had a matching chair, and I smiled, feeling more at home already. There was no way that the room was already like this- the Lightwood's must have decorated it for me.

"Do you like it?" I heard Isabelle ask tentatively. I turned and looked at her."If you don't, we can always redo it for you," she said hastily.

"No!" both of the boys yelped, looking wide-eyed. Isabelle shot them a glare that had them holding their hands up in surrender. I'm pretty sure that if she had a shoe or some other object nearby, she would have thrown it at them.

"No, I love it! Thank you," I said to Isabelle, then turned to the boys. "And thanks for helping bring my stuff up," I said, to which I earned an annoyed grumble from Alec, and a smirk from Jace.

"No problem, Red," he said and left the room with Alec trailing behind. I couldn't help but feel that the dark-haired boy didn't like me very much.

Isabelle departed shortly too, telling us to ask the cat if we needed help finding someone. That completely baffled me; why would we ask a cat? I went over to the boxes stacked on the floor by the door and started unpacking my art supplies. I placed my sketch pad and array of pencils on the desk, while my mom opened a box and started folding clothes for me. Once I was done with that, I moved on to a box of mementos that I brought, to remind me of home. I pulled out a small wish-box that I've had since I was little, and set it delicately on the bedside table with a smile.

I took my pale faded blanket and threw it on the bed. Once I was done unpacking with my mom and Luke's help, we collapsed all the boxes and stuck them in my closet. Too soon, we were saying our good-byes.

"Clary, I'm going to be staying at Luke's place for the time being, okay? If you need anything, call me or Luke, honey," she said and gave me a hug, holding me for a few seconds before kissing my forehead and letting me go. Luke pulled me into one of his signature bear hugs and spun me around.

"You have fun, okay?" he said with a large smile. I told them that I would be fine, and they soon had to leave. I went over to the window and waited for them to exit. They came into view, and went straight for the truck. My mom looked up at my window and waved. I waved back. They pulled into the street and drove out of sight. I took a seat on the windowsill, completely ignoring the cool chair hanging from the ceiling. It wasn't that I was ignoring it, it was more like I was too preoccupied in my thoughts to notice it. I sat in silence just staring out the window for who knows how long.

When it started to get dark, and a few stars popped through the smog, a knock sounded at my door. I jumped at the sound and then rushed to answer the caller. I opened the door and found myself face to face with a chest encased in a snug tee-shirt. My eyes darted up to find the face, but I already knew who it was. Jace stood just outside my door, and our eyes locked for a brief moment. I broke the contact first by stepping back slightly and looking away.

"Um, hi?" I said in a questioning voice, wondering why he was here at my door. That, and the fact that I had no clue how to talk to boys- especially anyone as stunning as Jace.

"Dinner's ready and thought you might want to eat," he said smoothly and turned. After a few steps, he turned to look at me. "You coming or not, Red?" I didn't know this guy at all, and to make things worse, I saw him murder someone just a few nights before. Needless to say, he made me nervous, but I had a feeling that there was more to it that what I saw.

"Can I ask you a few questions?" I asked in a serious tone. He tensed visibly and looked down at me again, with a smirk to hide his own nervousness; I could see right through it, though. I wish he would stop smirking at me, but I found myself staring, slightly flustered. His cocky smirk grew and I glared at him.

"Sure, sure. Better make it quick, we're not far from the dining room," he said and started walking again. With a huff, I shut my door and had to jog to keep up with him. My short legs could only take me so far.

"Why did you kill that guy at Pandemonium?" I asked and something flickered in his eye when he looked down at me, but I couldn't catch it. He spoke easily, answering my question. "That, Little Red, was not a person. It was a demon. They can take change their form to appear human. You can't trust strangers."

"Then why should I trust you?" I asked. He scoffed and spoke.

"How could someone this devilishly handsome be dangerous?" he said while gesturing to himself in a very egotistical manner. I looked at him in disbelief. He needed to be put down a little.

"Your ego is way to big for your body, Goldie Locks," I said brusquely and walked past him into the dining room that we had just came up upon. As we entered, every one looked up from their plates. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, I bit the inside of my lip and quickly took an empty seat between Isabelle and Maryse. On the table was a vast array of Chinese food in white containers. I served myself some orange chicken and mu-shu pork. I took a bite of chicken and almost groaned in delight. I've never had Chinese food this good. Jace sat across from me and when I looked up, he was staring at me with amusement in his eyes.

"What?" I asked after swallowing a mouth full of fried rice. I didn't want to look like a slob.

"Nothing little Red. I just love mu-shu, and I can see that you do too," he said in an amused voice. I rolled my eyes and set my fork down, folding my arms on the edge of table.

"My name is not Little Red. It's Clary," I said in annoyance.

"I know," he said, mimicking me and leaning forward. "Pretty name. Like the herb, Clary Sage. In the old days people thought eating the seeds would let you see the Fair Folk. Did you know that?"

"Thanks for the trivia," I said sarcastically and we went back to eating. He smirked and sat back in his chair.

"You going to eat that?" he said bluntly, staring at my unfinished mu-shu pork. I rolled my eyes again and pushed the plate across the table to him. He dumped it out onto his plate and slid it back. Luckily, my arms were still on the table, and I was able to stop the sliding easy enough. I could only imagine the mess it would have made. He ate that, along with his unfinished food like a garbage disposal. I surprised he didn't choke. It would serve him right, I think gloomily. For some unknown reason, he put me on edge.

"Claris- Clary," Maryse said, then corrected herself. "How are you liking everything, so far?" I took a sip of my water while she spoke and thought of a response.

"It's, uh," I stumbled on the words, not knowing what to say. "It's just different. I mean, I've passed this place by before without a second glance. Then all of a sudden, I go to a club with a friend and see things that nobody else could," I say and rub my temples in an attempt to dull my small headache.

"That's completely understandable. In three days, you witnessed a 'murder', learned of your true heritage, and moved into a strange new place. I just hope you feel welcomed," Maryse says gently and smiles reassuringly. I caught Alec rolling his eyes and mumbling something under his breath, but nobody seemed to notice. That, or they were ignoring him.

"Yes, it's been nice so far. Thanks," I murmur, not liking to be the center of attention.

Jace sat back and stretched his arms and legs out, his booted feet bumping into mine. With the way he was watching me, I could tell that he bumped me purposefully. I retracted my legs, blushed, and took a drink of water to cover it up. His hawk-eyes caught it anyways and he smirked. I'm mildly surprised that his face isn't stuck like that.

"Should I show Clary back to her room?" he asked, seeing as everybody was finished eating. I'm sure I could find my way on my own. _Yeah, by tomorrow morning_. I took a cursory glance around the table and met eyes with Alec's icy blue ones that glared daggers into me. I haven't said more than ten words to the guy, and he already hates me. I stood and thanked every one before following Jace out. We walked through the cavernous corridor in silence, and as we walked, I took the time to admire all of the beautiful artwork on the walls. I noticed the recurring theme of an angel holding a sword and chalice while hovering above a big lake. I felt as if I was being watched, and when I looked over, Jace was staring at me.

"Would you quit staring at me?" I asked sharply, annoyed with him.

"Hmm?" he asked, dazed. I looked at him. _You've got to be kidding me_, I thought with a frown.

"Jace! Snap out of it," I said, waving my hand in front of his face. He blinked once, twice and then his eyes focused.

"What?" he asked belatedly.

I gave a frustrated sigh and we started up a set of stairs. We stopped after two flights and continued down the next hall. I have to remember that, I thought. When we rounded the corner, I screamed at something that darted under my feet. There was a hiss and I hopped back to avoid stepping on the creature. A very angry-looking cat glared up at me with its hackles raised.

"Sorry kitty," I said and continued to follow a laughing Jace.

"That's Church. He doesn't like many people." We went down the hall and stopped at the third door, my room. I twisted the handle and entered. When I closed the door, there was a dull thump, and the door was still opened slightly. For a moment, I was worried that I had closed the door on that damned cat. When I looked down though, I saw a black combat boot wedged between the door and the door jamb. I glared at him, hoping to get him to leave, but he only raised an eyebrow. That was something I could never accomplish, no matter how much I wanted to. I settled for narrowing my eyes.

"Do you mind?" I asked calmly, resisting the urge to lash out at him. He's been grating on my nerves all night, no matter how beautiful he is.

"No, not really," he says in a cheery voice and leans against the door jamb, forcing me to step back so I don't have to crane my neck to see him. "I just want to get to know my future pupil a little," he says with a smile, instead of a smirk. His smile seems genuine, and I find it much more handsome than his cocky smirk.

"What do you mean?" I ask, cautiously, waiting for a punch line to his never ending jokes.

"May I come in?" he asks.

"I would prefer not, but if it gets rid of you quicker..." I said and stepped out of the way. He brushed his way through and looked around my room, then took a seat on my desk.

"What can I do for you?" I asked, sounding like a sales woman from a store. His eyes gazed at me with conflict, and for once, he seemed to not know what to say. I vaguely realized that I was staring at him as well.

"Just," he started, and sensing my annoyance, he sighed. "Just wear sweat pants and a tank top, or something like that tomorrow, okay? I'm going to be your trainer. Just meet me in the training room at 9:30 tomorrow," he says and looks over at me.

"In the morning?" I asked in disbelief. "I hate mornings," I groan. He laughs softly and shakes his hair out. When it falls in his eyes, he impatiently shoves it back.

"Yes in the morning," he drawls, and I groan again and fall backwards onto my bed. "You'll have to get used to it. We usually get up with the sun," he says softly, and I ignore him. For once, he says nothing.

I lay comfortably on the plush bed, staring at the blank ceiling. It was silent, and my eyes felt heavy, so I closed them just for a moment, completely forgetting that Jace was in the room.

Jace POV:

Little Red groaned and fell backwards onto her bed, and I smiled. She looked at the ceiling and yawned. Soon her eyes closed and I heard her breathing slow down._That's got to be the first time a girl has fallen asleep in my presence_, I chuckled lightly and walked up to the bed. I thought about waking her back up and telling her to change; sleeping in jeans can't be comfortable. I decided against it. _I could change her into sweat pants or something, but she would be furious, I'm sure._

Instead, I just untied her brown boots and pulled them off of her tiny feet. I lifted her up gently, her curly red hair tickling my arm, and peeled the sheets away and placing them over her silently sleeping form. I saw my hand smoothing down her soft hair, twirling it around my fingers and then smoothing it back down. As I did so, she turned onto her side, facing me with a small smile on her lips. Her sleeping freckled face made me smile. I have to get to know her better.

With a sigh, I turned and went for the door. I paused at turned out the witch lights. I glanced back one last time before shutting the door and going to my room. Once back in the sanctuary of my plain white room, I changed into a pair of boxers and plopped into bed. As try to fall asleep, I let myself think about her.

_How can one small girl be doing this to me?_ I thought. _She's Clary. That's why_, I answered my mental question and let sleep take me along with thoughts of green eyes paired with red hair.


	3. Chapter 3

Clary's POV:

My alarm clock went off 7:30, ripping me out of the blissful sleep that I so desperately needed. I rolled over in my bed and opened my eyes to the blinding sunlight; my windows faced towards the east, giving me a perfect view of the rising sun- and also waking me up earlier. I squinted my eyes against the pain and rubbed the sleep away before sitting up. As I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, I noticed that I was still in my clothes from the day before, and I don't recall falling asleep last night.

With a shrug, I got up and went to the dark dresser to pull out some fresh clothes. I pulled on a pair of old, flannel sweat pants along with a warm hoodie- the room got very cold sometime during the night. After brushing my teeth and a quick once over in the mirror, I piled my hair into a messy bun and deemed myself decent for breakfast. I slipped on my slippers and threw the door open to find a cat sitting right outside the door, glaring at me like I was the epitome of evil. He obviously hasn't forgotten our little encounter yesterday, where my foot just so happened to make contact with his tail. Oops, I smiled and greeted him.

"Church," I say in a curt voice. Now look at me, I'm talking to animals as if they can hear me. He gave a lazy meow and turned, most likely expecting me to follow him; I did. He headed to the heavily trodden stairs, but I quickly scooped him up and darted into the open elevator with him. The second the doors closed, I dropped him to the ground and he hissed again and swatted at me. I glared at him and stomped my foot in his direction, trying to spook him, but he just glared right back. I pressed what I thought to be the correct floor, and the elevator started to move. With the way it groaned and rattled, it must have been a hundred years old. Should I be afraid? Maybe there's a reason nobody uses the elevator but to get from the ground floor to the Institute proper, I think with worry; my fears are hushed when the elevator stopped. I stepped out, after the cat darted out and left me alone, and found my way to the kitchen easily. From the hallways, I heard dishes clinging and silverware chiming. I stepped into the dinning room to find every one fully dressed and ready for the day. The second I walked in, all eyes found me, taking in my sleep-looking self. I felt the blood rush immediately to my face, and lowered my head in embarrassment.

"Oh God," I muttered under my breath. I was the only one in pajamas. "I'll be right back, I'll go change," I said and turned to leave when I felt a large calloused hand grasp my arm. I craned my neck back to look at Jace standing there in all his golden glory.

"You're already here, just sit. You can change later," he said kindly and brought me over to a seat next to him. I looked up and met eyes with Alec who was directly across from me, watching me as if one wrong was made, he would kill me. I swallowed hard, and looked down at my plate. Bacon, pancakes, and hash browns. I poked the bacon with my fork and looked up.

"Anyone want my bacon?" I asked timidly. To my surprise, Alec nodded and pushed his plate over. I shrugged speared the two strips, and plopped them on his plate; he devoured the two in seconds. He looked to be happier now, but still annoyed that Jace was sitting next to me. I didn't really get it. I didn't even like Jace in the way that Alec obviously does. Isabelle, who is seated on my other side, leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"If Jace does anything to piss you off, threaten him with ducks," I gave her an odd look to which she shrugged off with a simple 'trust me'. Whatever. I cut up my pancakes, doused them in syrup, and plopped a fork-full in my mouth. Everybody chatted around the table, but I kept to myself and ate in silence.

After we were done eating, we all put our dishes in the sink and everyone headed their separate ways. Jace and I, though, headed back to our rooms so that I could clean up and change. I made my bed quickly and changed into some loose-fitting, stretchy yoga pants and a white tank top- with the right under garments, of course. When I was done, I put on my sneakers and went into the bathroom for one last glance over. I brushed my hair out and put it into a better secured bun. Finally, I went to open my bedroom door, only to find Jace with his hand raised in a fist as if he where about knock. His eyes quickly scanned over my body, making me uncomfortable.

"Well?" I asked in annoyance, and covered my chest by crossing my arms. That seemed to snap him out of his ogling.

He seem surprised at my quick tone, but he quickly recovered with a smirk. It seems to be a sort of defense mechanism for him. "'Bout time," he says hotly and walks down the hall, not pausing to see if I wad following. We walked down one set of stairs, down a couple more halls, and through a large arched set of wooden doors, into a large room that looked like a gymnasium, complete with spring boards, balance beams, uneven bars, a ropes that go to the ceiling, and mats scattered everywhere. On the far wall was a door that had a sign on it that said "DANGER. WEAPONS." Jace caught me looking at it in puzzlement and explained.

"That's the weapons room," he said.

"Yeah, I figured," I replied, when what I really wanted to say was no shit, Sherlock. I kept that to myself while he led me over to one of the safety mats in the center of the room. He went into the weapons room, and came back with two wooden swords and a pair of finger-less gloves. He tossed the gloves to me and set the swords down nearby. All the while, he stood a couple feet away from me with his arms crossed, biceps bulging, watching me like a mama bear watches its cubs.

I looked up at him questioningly when I was done and he stepped forward. "Hit me," he said simply and held his arms out for a second before letting them fall back to his sides with a smack.

"What?" I ask, not knowing what exactly to do. He raises a single eyebrow- something I now envy him for- and nods without a word. I sigh and take a step closer, looking him square in the chest, raising my hand and dropping it in embarrassment. He waits patiently. Finally, I just swing my arm towards his torso, but he easily grabs my clenched fist.

"Rule number one," he says in amusement, "Never hold your thumb inside of your fist. You'll break it like a twig." I blush slightly, I should have known that. I probably did, but never thought of it. "Rule number two: Don't go for the chest. That's just stup-," he starts and corrects himself, probably to spare my feelings. "Just don't; you want to aim for the face. Jaw, nose, eyes, side of the head. Unless you hit below the belt, I'm sure you know how to manage that."

"Got it," I mumble and step back. He nods and tells me to go again, whilst watching me very intently. This time, I hold my hand in the correct position and swing high, for his jaw; that's probably the only thing I can reach, he's over a foot taller than me. Again, he catches my hand in his and nods with a calculating smile.

"Not bad. Rule number three: your stance," he says and walks around me; I instinctively turn with him. He chuckles and turns me around. He grabs my shoulders and holds me up straight, then he nudges his foot against one of mine, indicating for me to widen my stance. I do so. "Not so much," he says. "Just shoulder-width." Once he is satisfied with my stance, he comes back around to the front and takes in my position; I know he's being purely instructional, but I can't keep the blush from creeping up. "Now, put your weight behind your punch. And always keep your hands up, so you can block your face," the second he is done talking, I throw everything I've got towards his face, and my fist connects with his jaw with a satisfying thump.

Pain shoots up my hand and I suck in a sharp breath and turn around in shock, cradling my hand. I silently curse; I didn't mean to really punch him, but I'm sure it hurt me more than him. He chuckles and walks around to face me. I hang my head and keep my hand cradled to my chest, holding in the curses that I want to shout out.

"Damn, Clary. I didn't know you had it in you!" Jace says enthusiastically, and I can't help the smile that comes up at the praise. When he sees me clutching my hand, he steps closer and gently takes it in his for closer inspection. "Are you okay?"

"I think your jaw just sprained my hand," I hiss out and close my eyes against the tears. I will not cry in front of him.

"Well, now is as good as ever," he mutters and pulls out a long, stick-like objects made of some sort of gleaming metal. He smiles softly at my quizzical look. "This is a stele," he say and lets me hold it to feel the weight. I think that it resembles a thick wand from Harry Potter. He holds out his arms to show me his tattoo-like Marks. I remember my mom saying something about them being used to enhance certain things, like speed or intelligence. "This will sting a little, but you'll be fine."

The stele touches the inside of my wrist lightly, but then he presses more and I feel the stinging burn of my skin being marked. I burns pretty badly, but it's not completely unbearable. I watch as the black line swirls and tapers into a beautiful design, and I can feel the pain ebbing away. I test out my hand by clenching and unclenching it. It feels great. Wow.

"Pretty neat, huh?" he says softly as to not disturb my pondering. Did I say that out loud? I nod and smile up at him, and out eyes lock; big mistake. Looking into his eyes is like looking into the sun. It almost hurts, but at the same time, it's completely mesmerizing and breathtaking. I have to mentally kick myself to tear my gaze away, and I do, but with great difficulty.

"Um, what next?" I ask timidly, and he smiles and goes to pick up the discarded wood swords. He hands one to me, and I look at it skeptically. I slowly extended my arm and take the heavy sword into my hand. The unfamiliar weight makes it almost topple out of my hands, but I catch it and find some sort of an awkward balance. Jace rolls his eyes and comes from behind me to assist me in how to hold the weapon, and how to hold myself. Him being so close made my face go red and he was much closer that before. My face went red, as per usual, and I wanted to slap myself for it. You don't even know him! I screamed at myself silently. I shouldn't be reacting like this to someone I don't know.

"Are you ready?" he asked. He was now in front of me with his own practice sword in hand.

"No," I say, but I was caught off guard when a sword came crashing to me. I screamed and ducked, throwing my bade up at his, like they do in the movies. It clanged with his and he grinned. He knocked it out of the way with the flick of his wrist, and my sword was across the room. I backed up out of range just as he swung again, but he followed suit. I darted across the room to my sword, and I picked it up just as Jace kicked my feet out from under me. I fell with a huff and the blow left me winded and wheezing for air. Jace faltered, and I saw my chance; I brought the sword up and jabbed him in the abdomen with as much force as I could muster. Luckily, I caught him off guard and he fell back, but he quickly caught himself on one hand. I dove under a mass of balance beams that were covered with some leather clothing that looked like belts and jackets. When Jace got up, I was safely tucked away and he looked around without a clue to where I was.

I closed my eyes to focus on calming my breathing, and when I opened them, Jace was nowhere to be seen. I quietly whispered a shocked "What?" and then felt a sharp tip pressed hard between my sensitive shoulder blades. I tensed and gasped, then spun. Jace, who was inbetween two beams towering over me, looked smitten.

"Dead. I win," he said with a grin and I scowled. My back hurt where he held the blade a few seconds ago. I reached my arm back and tried to rub it, barely reaching. Jace gave me a confused look.

"Yeah, that kinda hurt, you know," I said matter-of-factly. His confusion was quickly replaced with concern.

"Are you okay? Let me see," he said and crouched down, trying to spin me around but failed as I stood my ground.

"It's nothing, can we just get back to training?" I said. He nodded.

"What do you want to work on next? Flips? More physical combat?" he asked, listing several things would probably end up with me hurt.

"Can we do whatever will leave me the least unscathed?" I ask as I haul myself up and around the beams into the open room.

"Flips it is!" he said and retrieved a harness from a storage room. He helped hook me into it before going to a wall and pulling some cords that were hanging from the ceiling, tacked to the side out of the way. He came and hooked them onto the harness before tugging on the experimentally. All of a sudden, I was being lifted up into the air smoothly, and I looked down to see Jace pulling a cord and lifting me up towards the rafters. Once I was near a low hanging rafter, he told me to sit down. Then he told me to jump, and that's when the panic settled into the pit of my stomach.

Apparently Jace's eyesight was amazing, because he could read my expression clearly. "Clary, you have a harness on. Now jump, or I will have Alec come push you down!" he called up to me. Alec would probably enjoy that. I inhaled a big breath and jumped with my eyes squeezed shut tightly. I tried not to, but a scream escaped and filled the room. Suddenly I was bouncing and dangling 4 feet above Jace's head. I breathed a sigh of relief before looking down at him.

"Ha! Look, you can't even reach me!" I shouted down at him. A devious smile slid across his face, and I swear, my heart stopped for a second.

"Wanna test that?" he said and bent his knees to jump.

"No, no I take it back!" I shouted, but was too late. He grabbed my sides and pulled me down to the ground, stretching the cord to a scary length. I knew if he let go, I would go flying upwards.

"Don't you dare let go," I spat firmly and what do you think he does? He let's go. I go shooting back up with another bloodcurdling scream. Not soon enough for my liking, the cords slow down and I am dangling in the air again.

"Jace! get me down from here now!" i shouted

"Hm, I think I'll leave you there," he said and stood back, inspecting his nails to make a point. I expected him to be joking, but then he turned and started to walk away, towards the training room doors. Unbelievable, I thought in disbelief. Then, Isabelle's advice at breakfast this morning came flooding back to me.

"If you don't get me down this instant, I will get my revenge, and it will not be pretty," he paused and turned to look at me with that smirk once again plastered on his face. He didn't believe me.

"Oh yeah, Little Red? Like what?" he asked.

I smiled evilly, or trying my best to, and said one small word. "Ducks"

I watched as his eye bulged out of his head and his jaw dropped. "How the hell," he sputters as I smirk at his dumbfounded expression.

"Oh, I have my resources," I reply calmly as he comes rushing over to stand under me with his arms out. I was dangling about 10 feet in the air and he looked like he expected me to jump.

"Pull the red string on your harness. It's an emergency release," he said and I looked down and sure enough, there was a red tab. I squinted my eyes shut and yanked it. I fell quickly and landed soflty in a pair of strong arms, Jace's arms. He pulled me against his chest for a split moment, and I involuntarily breathed him in. He smelt amazing, like sunshine and soap and something else mixed in. I realized my arms were wrapped(around his neck) and quickly unwrapped them and Jace let me go.

"Um, thanks for catching me," I stammered and blushed. He smirked and told me that the session was over and that I could go change and whatnot. I quickly bee-lined to my room where I showered and went to fetch my sketch pad and favorite pencil. When I was dressed, I sat on my bed and began to draw, letting my hands flow freely.

* * *

Jace POV:

I felt my jaw drop in shock, but I quickly recovered. \

How does she know my fear of ducks? I wondered. When I asked, she just said she had her resources.

What resources? A warlock? Izzy? I bet it was Izzy. But I didn't want to take a chance. I wasn't really going to leave her there, I was going to untie the rope from the hook on the wall that held it. But, she demanded to be put down, so I willingly obliged. I told her she had to jump. The look of shock that crossed her eyes would have made me laugh if I were not stricken by her beauty.

I held my arms out, expecting her to reject that option, but she pulled the red string and fell straight down into my arms. I caught her easily and she wrapped her arms around my neck as I pulled her to my chest. My heart fluttered out of control, but I did not let it show. How can one small girl do that?

At this point, I had given up on questions, I just wanted to know if she would do one thing for me. I wanted her to go on a date with me. I was about to ask her after I told her the lesson was over, but she quickly made her way out of the training room, presumably to go shower.

What the hell? Not one girl has run from my presence before, but she just did. I sighed and chuckled. The only possible answer is that she's Clary. She's strong and stubborn, just like me. I'll just have to fix that, I think before I set off with nowhere in particular in mind; I want to giver her time to shower and do whatever before I go knocking again. After about a half hour of wandering, I decide to head towards her room. I take a deep breath and knock, then lean casually against the door jamb, while waiting. I heard a small gasp, then some shuffling and the sound of Clary's small feet pattering towards the door.

"Uh, hi," she says breathlessly. I smirk. "What can I help you with?"

"I know my looks are stunning, but there is no need to lose your breath over me," I say smoothly. She huffed in annoyance and glared at me.

"What do you want?" she asked, growing impatient. Now it was my turn to cut the crap. My heart sped up, and it felt like it might pound right out of my chest. I inhaled deeply and spoke with a small smile on my lips. For once in my life, I don't feel completely confident. I like it. I like the way Clary makes me feel- it's a challenge, but there's more to it. There's something about her that sets her aside. Maybe it's her hair, or her eyes, but her personality definitely shines the brightest.

"Clarissa Fray, would you do me the great honor of accompanying me to dinner? I would love to take you on a date," I say hoarsely, and my voice cracks on the word 'date'. Her face is frozen in confusion and surprise and… admiration? I blinked and she did too. She straitened her back and sighed nervously. She looked down and every where else just to avoid my gaze and to prevent me from seeing her blush, but eventually, she brought her eyes to mine once more and nodded.

"Yes, I'll go on a date with you," she said softly with flaming cheeks to match her hair. My heart went faster, if it was even possible. I felt the smile spread onto my lips in happiness. A true smile, not a sarcastic smirk. Not many people can make me smile.

"Great. I'll be back at 6, be ready," I said and turned, only to pause to add an after thought. "Later around 9, Izzy wants to go clubbing. Just thought you should know," I murmured and left with another smile, which she returned. I made my way slowly back to my room, taking my time and thinking about Clary, as I have been since that night at Pandemonium. I opened my door and flopped on my bed, letting my eyes close to thoughts of that fiery red-head.


	4. Chapter 4

I closed the door after Jace left and grabbed my phone up off the bed, checking the time. It was nearly 4:45, and I had to quickly weigh my options. After a few seconds of silent debate, I decided to pay a visit to Isabelle across the hall; she seemed friendly enough when I met her. I opened my door and peered left and then right, making sure no one was there. I took one step out and then another to the door across from me, decorated with old stickers, and now had a sign on it, declaring the inhabitant of the room, Isabelle. I raised my hand and knocked softly. There was no reply and I was about to turn around and go back to my room when the door flung open, revealing a sweaty-looking Isabelle panting in the doorway, dressed in her "gear", which consisted a black tank top, black pants and matching black 6" stiletto heels. On a chunky belt slung around her waist was some sort of weapon that looked like a sword of ice, along with various other tools and instruments. She looked at me with an eye brow raised that gave the silent question of "what do you want?" I cleared my throat and brushed a chunk of my hair out of my face.

"Do you need something?" she asked impatiently. She seemed much nicer earlier, but maybe I just interrupted her.

"Can't I just talk to the only other girl in this place?" I asked lightly with a timid smile. The girl in front of me let her mouth stretch into a big grin and opened the door, inviting me inside. I stepped into what looked like a girly wonderland. There clothes, shoes, jewelry, and anything else you could think of, all strewn around the room. There was a vanity against the back wall that had mountains of makeup and hair products lying on it, and in a corner there was a random pile of weapons. The walls were painted a light pink, and her bedding was black, but with pink polka-dots spotting it. I was snapped out of observation by Isabelle happily questioning me.

"What's up?" she asked. Now, it was my turn to let out a big grin.

"Jace asked me out," I said calmly, or what I thought was calmly, as if we where having a normal conversation and not talking about the Greek God just a few doors down. I immediately regretted it as she started squealing like a little girl on Christmas morning.

"He asked you out?! What did you say? Did you say yes? What time?" she rapidly fired question after question at me with no pause.

"Six, tonight," I said with a smile, and she immediately yanked me up and dragged me to her closet that was over flowing with clothes and shoes. "All this is yours?" I asked, not believing that one person could own so many clothes.

"This is only a fraction of what I have in storage!" she laughed and turned to give me a once-over before grabbing several dresses and handing them to me carelessly. "Alright, go try these on!" she and turned me around by the shoulders, then pushed me into the bathroom and closed the door, leaving me with dresses I would never imagine wearing, half of them that I didn't even know how to put on. 9 firm rejections, 3 maybe's, and 12 dresses total later, I found myself staring in the mirror, in complete and utter shock. I had on a tiny black dress, and by tiny I mean, it was barely enough to cover my butt and it didn't even reach halfway down my thighs. It was strapless and fitted to my every curve, no matter how small or nonexistent they were. The sides of the dress were cut out into an inverted triangle covered in lace, the tip almost reaching my small hips. I spun once more in the mirror to see how it looked from the back view, and opened the door to find Isabelle texting someone on her phone. When she saw me, she put her phone down and stared at me.

"Yep. I knew it! That's the dress!" Isabelle exclaimed.

"Um, thank you? But I don't think I can pull this off," I said and gestured to the length.

"Nonsense. With the right shoes, you can!" She waved flippantly and headed towards her closet to search for shoes.

"No, literally. It's like a second skin, I don't think I'll be able to take it off," I said."And it's way too short," I added as a whiny voice. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out some tights… black lace tights that matched the lace on the dress. I huffed and went to the bathroom to put them on. I did feel a bit more covered, so so I had that going for me; that was about it, though. I returned to her room for the hundredth time only to have Isabelle hand me a pair of ridiculously high pumps that had a dainty little buckle around each ankle. "You're kidding me, right?" I asked, staring holes into the 5 inch heels.

"Nope! Now put them on and get comfy, 'cause I'm going to do your hair and makeup next," I quickly glanced at the clock and saw that we had taken so much time just finding an outfit, that it was now 15 minutes 'till 6. Isabelle pushed me into the vanity chair and started to work on my face. She had me close my eyes, pucker my lips, make a fish face, and everything else that she needed in order to finish my makeup. I was starting to get impatient when she finally exhaled a happy sigh.

"Done!" I opened my eyes to see that she had given me a light smokey eye with earth tones. She had also given me a light blush that was not needed, and bright red lipstick. It would be a complete and utter lie if I said that I didn't like it. I was about to leave when she cleared her throat, causing me to turn around in response. She had her arms crossed over her chest and had one eye brow raised. What is it with everyone and eyebrows?

"Forgetting something?" she asked in a warning tone. What's she talking about? My face lit up in realization and I quickly said thanks.

"You're not done," she said with a playful eye roll. I just stood by the door and watched her go back to her closet with a dumbstruck expression. I could hear the sounds of drawers opening and closing along with hangers clanging together as she ruffled around for something. She promptly reemerged and held her hand out for mine. I gave her my arm and she slid on a couple of bangle bracelets with strange markings on them; I assumed they where runes, and she also gave me a black leather jacket. I slid it on and when I was done, she was putting a belt on me, similar to the one she was wearing earlier. I was about to argue when she tucked two knives in I stared at her in shock. "Isabelle," I started, but she instantly butted in.

"Call me Izzy, or Iz," she said, exasperated.

"Alright, Izzy it is. I don't know how to use a knife or any of that," I said and looked up at her for advice. She pursed her lips for a moment until she smiled, something invading her thoughts.

"Do you know how to cut vegetables?" she asked.

"Yes?" I said slowly, not entirely sure where this was going.

"It's just like that, but instead of carrots or celery, it's your attackers fingers or arm or something," she said nonchalantly, sending chills down my spine at the thought of possibly hurting another person. She was about to tuck something else in my belt, something silver and a bit larger than a pen- more like a wand out of Harry Potter.

"What is that?" I asked skeptically. She's loading me with all sorts of weapons, I at least want to know what it is so I don't accidentally cut my hand off.

"This, Clary, is a stele. We use it to draw runes. Do you know any?" she asked. I thought for a second before answering.

"I think," I said with an unsure shrug of my leather clad shoulders. She rolled her eyes in good nature while answering.

"Draw them in the air with your finger, I might be able to tell you which one is which." I drew a curly loop, but it had more angular lines so it looked more like a diamond with two curls spiraling off the top point in opposite directions. "That's the angelic rune, it protects you. Here, why don't we put it on you," she offered. I nodded and she asked me where I wanted it, as it lasts longer than other runes, but not forever. I turned around sliding off the jacket to show the space between my shoulder blades. I also pulled m hair over one shoulder. She said it might hurt a little, but not much. She pressed the stele to my skin gently, but firmly and I felt the slow, slightly painful burn of it as she marked my back. Soon, she was done and I was surveying the tattoo-like mark in a mirror.

"This is just my spare stele, so you can keep it until you have one of your own," Izzy said as she tucked the object into my jacket pocket and zipped it shut, keeping it safe. I turned to go to the door but she stopped me once more, telling me to spin so she could see me. She smiled and walked up with a clip in her hand, then pinned some of my curls up in an attempt to tame it and make it look good at the same time. I thanked Izzy and opened the door, only to walk into something, or more likely, someone. I was almost as startled as he, but I jumped back in surprise while he just stood there with what looked like shock plastered on his face, but soon before I could really see it, his surprise was replaced with a calm and collected, yet sexy smirk after he fully took me in. Sexy? Oh well, he is good-looking…

"Well don't you look stunning," he murmured and offered me his arm, which I gladly took. With a quick goodbye to Isabelle, we walked down through the Institute, and into the streets and caught a cab to a place called Taki's. The ride was short and quiet, but surprisingly pleasant. It gave me time to think about everything that's been going on lately, from my mother dropping the bomb that I'm not entirely human, right down to the present. Jace payed the cabbie when we arrived. Jace got out first, and I followed. I wasn't surprised when he held out his hand to help me out, or when he opened the restaurant door, either. We were greeted inside the door by two large guys in trench coats standing side by side. They looked like a rough bunch, but I was sure they were just bouncers or something. Still, they gave me the chills, and I tightened my grip on Jace's arm. Actually, the longer I stared, the more I realized that something was off. I tried using the trick that my mother taught me when we arrived at the Institute. I slowly peeled back layer after layer of their glamour, until I could see their true form. It seemed like every time I did this little process, it got easier. They weren't even human at all; One had the tail of some sort of predatory animal, I could tell because my staring caused the things tail to swish in annoyance. The other one had these creepy little horns sticking out of his forehead.

I tugged on jacketed arm and looked up at him. He leaned over to hear me better, and for that, I was grateful; I didn't want these guys overhearing me. When he leaned in, I could smell the faint scent of cologne, or maybe it was just natural; either way, he smelled warm and inviting, but I couldn't put my finger on the exact aroma.

"What are those guys?" I asked in no more than a whisper. He looked down at me with a smirk on his lips, and for once, he didn't seem condescending.

"Warlocks. For some reason, they can't produce magic, so they do their best and protect this place from the undesirables such as mundanes," he explained. I couldn't help but pick up on his condescending tone, though it wasn't directed towards me. He seemed to think of them as lower than him. There goes that hope...

"Oh," was all that came out of my mouth as we went over to one of the secluded booths in the back, designated for couples. It was a lot more like a restaurant back here, while the front seemed more like a friendly diner. Jace helped me take my coat off, which I protested, but lost the argument- I had never had anyone do that for me before. He waited for me to be seated before sliding in opposite of me, always a gentleman. We picked up the menus and started to look over them. On the menu were all kinds of weird and disgusting foods, from raw meat to Bloody Mary's; they literally had blood in them. Then, I came across a section labeled faerie food. It sounded interesting and the pictures look good, almost like they were all a sort of dessert.

"What's with this faerie food?" I asked and looked up at him in curiosity as I folded sticky menu shut. He looked up at me with raised brows and a look of concern. "What?"

"I keep forgetting that you didn't grow up like we did. Whatever you do, don't eat faerie food. It tends to make us humans a bit crazy," he said with a smirk. By the look on his face, I could tell he was remembering something.

"How do you know?" I asked and he chuckled and crossed his arms over the table.

"Just trust me on this one," he insisted. I shook my head and mimicked his position, leaning forward slightly.

"Tell me," I said defiantly. His smirk grew into a full blown smile. He shook his head and said nope, popping the 'p'. "I'll walk right out of here if you don't," I said and made to get up with my coat in hand.

He grabbed my wrist and gently guided me back down to the cushioned booth. "Please stay?" he murmured, and I couldn't help but be hypnotized by the curve of his lips as he spoke. "I'll tell you the story," he said with a mischievous smile.

"Fine," I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Start talking."

"Where to begin?" he murmured and turned his gaze up in thought. "Alright, so I was at a party. Coincidentally, there were a lot of Fair Folk there, so there was a lot of faerie food, too. I got just a tad bit tipsy," he said while holding his hands a foot apart in a contradicting measurement. "I decided that I just had to have a faerie plum, and of course, I got my way." He smirked and gestured his hands down his torso, as if to say who could resist? "Thank the Angel Alec was there, and sober, because I just about lost my shit," he said then stopped with wide eyes. "Sorry," he said and I just waved off the use of language. I don't really care, I've heard and said worse, really.

"Anyways, I lost my marbles. The only thing I faintly remember is running down Madison Avenue in my birthday suit while wearing antlers on my head. It took both Alec and Isabelle to take me down," he finished with a smile. By the end of the story, I was laughing to the point that tears were trying to escape. Jace laughed with me, but much quieter and more subdued.

A waitress addressed our table, and I had to quickly pull myself together. "Hello, I'm Kaelie, I'll be your server tonight," she said, winking at Jace, and directing everything she said directly to him. He smirked and turned his attention back to me, but my eyes were caught on the girl. She had light skin, so light that it was almost transparent, and her veins were easily visible through her pale demeanor. Her blonde hair was light and pulled up into a cheery ponytail on the top of her head, and her eyes, her eyes will probably give me nightmares. They were a pretty blue, like the sky on a nice day, but she had no pupil and the whites of her eye were nonexistent; as if she could get any creepier, it almost looked like her teeth were tapered into points.

Jace shot off his order and looked at me. I ordered a small caesar salad, and a cheese burger. Finally, Kaelie left us alone. I couldn't help it, the words just kind of popped out of my mouth.

"What the hell is she?" I said. He laughed and glanced over at the girl who just disappeared into the kitchen to get out drinks.

"She's a faerie," he said with a chuckle. Suddenly, our drinks were slammed down in front of us with more force than necessary, and when I looked up, the waitress was glaring dagger at me. I'm pretty sure she overheard us, and I instantly felt terrible. She turned with a scoff and stalked away with her ponytail swinging here and there.

"Oops," I whispered and sat back in my seat and closed my eyes, resting my hands on the table. He laughed and I felt a warmth cover my hand. When I opened my eyes, I could see that he had placed his calloused hand over mine in a reassuring gesture. I smiled and looked away in nervousness. This is my first date, and I could feel butterflies fluttering softly in my stomach at his touch. After that, Jace and I made small talk about what we liked to do and other trivial things as well. Of course, Jace's favorite thing to do is fight; anything involving weapons, too. We eventually got onto the topic of fears and confessions. I told him how I once killed three pet fish in a row from over feeding them; and I was worried that they would die from starvation. Then, I learned that the infamous Jace Wayland- who fears nothing- is deathly afraid of ducks.

"I was at Central Park, and there was a baby duck in the water, flapping around with its head under the water. I thought it was drowning, so being the nice person I am, I tried to help it. The mother came up behind me and bit me in the ass," he said. "I tried to help, and the thing bit me!"

"You do know that ducks are natural swimmers, right?" I asked with a small smile.

Jace rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but our food came out just in time. He picked up his B.L.T. and took a huge bite, claiming that he couldn't talk with a full mouth. I rolled my eyes and started to eat away at my food as well. During the meal, we made small talk about ourselves and other trivial things.

Dinner was so nice, but it didn't last long enough. Thankfully, it was only 8, so we had plenty of time to burn. Jace and I strolled casually out of Taki's, chatting and laughing. I learned a lot about Jace, and he learned a lot about me too. I felt completely comfortable around him, but the butterflies never stopped their relentless battery of my insides. Every time he snuck a glance in my direction, my face would heat up like my hair, and every time I glanced at him, he would give me a genuine smile.

I quickly learned the difference between his signature smirk and his genuine, heartfelt smile. for instance, when he catches a random passerby drooling at him, he smirks, but when I look at him in the slightest, he smiles. They're not hard to mistake, either; when he smiles, his golden eyes sparkle and his teeth show in a cute and quirky way. Through those smiles, I even found his flaw. Before, he seemed too perfect to be real- golden hair, golden eyes, golden tan. Chiseled stomach, chiseled jaw, chiseled back. He looks like a Greek God, like Hercules or something. But finally, finally I found his one flaw that rendered him imperfect: the smallest little chip on one of his teeth- which were also pearly white and straight. He also seemed to be a little on edge, and that just felt out of character for him. The way he was talking was entertaining, but I had the feeling that it was abnormal, that he usually didn't talk that much. Maybe, just maybe I make him nervous.

Our hands and shoulders kept brushing together every other step, and eventually, I felt his fingers intentionally brushing against mine. I almost stopped in my tracks, but I didn't, but my breath definitely hitched. I boldly slipped my hand into his warm, rough one. I could feel the callouses there, showing his hard work and dedication. In a way, his hands also felt gentle, like they were used to handling something delicate, like a musicians hands.

When I took in our surroundings, I noticed that we were just across the street from Central Park, and we kept heading that way. I absolutely love central park, especially at this time of the year, in the fall. The leaves were the perfect colors, all shades of red, yellow and brown, covering the ground in a blanket of color. We continued to walk aimlessly, and as we walked, the chatter died down into a comfortable silence. I looked up at Jace curiously when we slowed to a stop near the edge of the sidewalk. By now, not many people were out, just a few runners here and there, but it wasn't as crowded as it usually is during the day. We stood facing each other, hands still linked. He was the first to break the warm silence.

"Do you even know how beautiful you are?" he whispered. I'm sure my eyes widened, and my cheeks flamed, but he smiled and gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The, as if as an after thought, he reached his hand up, past my head, and into my hair, gently slipping the clip out of my hair, letting my unruly curls tumble down in waves. "I love the way your eyes are so green and your hair is like fire, just like your personality," he murmurs, and now we are barely separated by inches. Is he going to kiss me? He continued to lean in, closer and closer, making my breath hitch for the umpteenth time this evening. Oh God, I hope he kisses me, I think to myself. I've never been kissed before, and I definitely want Jace to be my first.

"Clarissa Adele Fray, I love you," he said strongly, with such confidence that it was almost disturbing. Before I could say something like have you bonked your damn head, he crashed his lips into mine and started kissing me. I stood frozen and kept my mouth shut, so now, he was really more or less sucking on my lips. My body went rigid with shock, but he seemed too preoccupied to notice. His tongue grazing against my lips was the last straw; I jumped back with a powerful shove to his chest.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, cupping my face gently since he could see the shock on my face. I jerked back and slapped his hand. His eyebrows pulled together in shock and confusion, and maybe even a little hurt.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?! Who do you think you are? You just told me you loved me and then practically tried to jump me! I don't even know you!" I screamed in frustration. What an ass, thinking he can go around telling girls he loves them, just to get into their bed? I turned on my heel and started to walk away when a strong hand grasped my fore arm. I stopped dead right where I was and didn't even look back at him.

"Jonathan Christopher Wayland, you better let go of my arm right now, so help me God," I spat through gritted teeth. His grip loosened infinitesimally, and I took off at a brisk walk towards the more crowed part of the park, towards the streets. I could hear him shouting my name behind me so I tried a light jog and failed miserably. I made a mental note to ask Isabelle to teach my how to later, but for now, I settled with quickly slipping off the boots, and running with them in hand; my feet were killing me anyways. I walked for seemingly forever after I lost Jace in the crowds, and some how ended up by the water in a more industrial part of the city. Something about the place seemed familiar, and I couldn't figure out what it was. I've only been to the area once or twice, but I was sure that I could find my way back to the Institute easily. I kept walking, but came to a halt as I passed a very familiar large gate with a round door cut vertically in half with Chinese dragon brass knockers. I quickly searched for and found the buzzer. I pressed it down firmly and was greeted with a voice very animated voice.

"Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn speaking," he chirps cheerily. "What can I do for ya, sweetheart?"


	5. Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER! I SADDLY DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE RIGHTS TO THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO CASSANDRA CLAIRE 


	6. Chapter 5

Previously

I kept walking, but came to a halt as I passed a very familiar large gate with a round door cut vertically in half with Chinese dragon brass knockers. I quickly searched for and found the buzzer. I pressed it down firmly and was greeted with a very animated voice.

"Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn speaking," he chirps cheerily. "What can I do for ya, sweetheart?"

Jace's POV

I stood and watched as the fiery-haired girl with the small frame walked away from me. What the hell? I thought. What just happened? I asked myself as I saw Clary disappear into the crowded streets. Instead of standing around and moping over a failed date, I walk around aimlessly. When I come to a halt, I am looking up at the familiar neon sign that says Taki's. When I stepped in, I was greeted with the warm aroma of pancakes, fried foods, and the succulent smell of faerie fruit. Kaelie pranced up to me with a sway to her hips, a sweet smile on her face, but I could see behind the fake smile lay a hidden desire and need. She stopped in front of me and reached up, placing a kiss on my cheek, just a hair shy of my lips, teasing me. To others, we might look like a happy couple, but we are so far from that. Her hands trail down my chest, causing me to shiver in pleasure, and stopping at the top of my belt and tapping the metal to signal her real intentions. With a wicked smile, she leaves me standing there to clock out.

She leads me to her car, and we ride in silence to her small apartment. The air is palpable with tension and lust, and after the crappy night I've had, this is just what I need.

Clary POV

"I, um,-" I stutter for something to say. I'm at a complete strangers home, for reasons I can't imagine. What the hell is wrong with me? But something feels so familiar about the place, and being the curious person I am, I ask the stupidest question. "Can you let me in?" I said quickly before I can change my mind and leave.

"And just why would I do that?" Magnus said on the other end of the intercom just as a drop of moisture falls onto the top of my head. Then another drop, and another splatter my arm and the ground, until a torrent of water in coming from the gray sky. Looking up at the rainy sky and back at the brass knockers, something inside my mind clicks. I've been here before- I just don't remember it. In my mind's eye I see a woman with the same colored hair as mine: my mother. If my mom brought me here, it can't be dangerous, right? And at this point, I wanted nothing more than to get out of the damn rain.

"Magnus, please just let me in, it's Clary." After a few seconds of silence, I assume that he has left me sitting here in the rain, but then the soft click tells me that the gate is unlocked. I stepped through the gate and swiftly walk up the stone pathway to the front door. The door swings open as I raise my fist to knock, and a lean man of obvious Asian decent stands before me. At a first glance, that was all I saw but as I took more of him in, I realized that his black hair was gelled into spikes that pointed in every direction, and an assortment of glitter was sprinkled on top. My eyes made it to his face where I noticed he had golden cat eyes. Growing up in New York City prepared me for such oddities.

"Clary. What are you doing here?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know. I was in the neighborhood," I say with a shy smile and a shrug. "Now may I please come in?" I asked again with my arms crossed over my soaked body. I probably look like a wet cat.

With a deep sigh, he opens the door wider for me to enter. I step in and turn around to look at him. "Now, tell me. Why. Are. You. Here?" he said, enunciating each word boldly. I shiver when the heat of the apartment reaches me, and my arms tighten around my body. He gives me a pitying look and snaps his fingers sharply, blue sparks flying from them. I jump in shock as my clothes and hair instantly dry. After looking down on myself, I look up and smile, silently thanking him.

"I already told you, I really don't know. I was just walking and found myself here." He sighs again and starts down the hallway. I follow as expected and we come into a nicely-sized living room with an array of couches and armchairs. I sit in an overstuffed recliner, and he sits on a couch across from me with his bare feet tucked underneath him.

"How much do you know?" he asks, his cat-eyes sparkling with curiosity. Underneath the curiosity, the wisdom and knowledge of times past is obvious, though he doesn't look any older than 19.

"Everything. My mom told me everything two days ago," I announced. Magnus rubbed his temples and then got up and went through an archway that I assumed led to the kitchen. I could see him open a cabinet, and then looked over his shoulder at me.

"Do you want some tea?" he asked. I shrugged and nodded, wondering why he doesn't just conjure up two cups of tea instead of getting up. He got down two tea cups, placed a teabag in each, and poured some water out of a steaming kettle in each. He then came back to the living room and handed me mine. I noticed as he passed me the tea that his hands were giving off a blueish glow.

"What's up with your hands?" I asked after taking a sip; he shrugged, pocketing them after setting down his full cup.

"So, I'm having a party tonight, and people will start showing up soon. Are you going to stay or what?" he asked impatiently.

"I-um. Sure, I'll stay," I said with a shrug. Parties aren't really my thing but I'm already here, so why not.

"Great! Will you help me set up?" he asked in excitement, joy filling his eyes. I have a feeling Isabelle and Magnus would get along great...

Isabelle POV

It was a quarter past 9 and Clary and Jace still haven't come home. I really wanted to go to that party at Magnus Bane's; he throws the best parties and there's no way of getting in without an invite and I finally got a hold of one. The party had already started. On the other hand, I wanted to wait up for Clary and see how everything went; but they're still out, so it must be going good. After assuring myself, I shimmy into my new silver cocktail dress that I paired with some thigh-high boots and a leather jacket. I quickly tuck my stele into my boot and throw my hair up with a clip. I quickly wrapped my whip around my wrist and touched up my make up with some gray and black shades to transform it into a nighttime smoky eye.

After giving myself a once over in the floor-length mirror on the back of my door, I walk into the hallway and knock on Alec's door as I pass, letting him know that I'm ready. When I enter the foyer, I see that he is already there waiting for me, wearing his normal shadowhunting gear, although we are going to a party. We take the elevator down to the chapel, throught the small front lawn, and out the iron gates of the Institute.

When we arrive at the party a little bit later, downworlders are everywhere. The fey mingle with werewolves, as do the warlocks and vampires. When I look back, I catch Alec just in time to see him inconspicuously pouring something into one of the vampires' demon-energy-powered motorcycles parked on the curb. I smile despite myself and continued in without him. A bouncer stood at the entrance to what looked like a courtyard overflowing with people.

"My brother over there," I say, gesturing to Alec, who waves, "is with me. He'll be in shortly," I hand the guy my invitation to check over. The bouncer nods and lets me in. I followed the sound of the music that sounds like a cross of Zedd and Skrillex: two electronic artists that I learned about from Pandemonium. I let my body swish and sway to the music, getting riled up with the crowd as the bass heightened to its max, then dropping and bouncing as the bass drops. I saw that Alec had taken off to the little bar in the corner and watched him carefully as I continued to dance. After a while of dancing with strangers, I had dropped off my jacket at a coat closet because it was too hot, and now that I was sweating, I decided that I was in desperate need of a drink.

"A Dirty Martini, please," I ordered and the bartender got to work fast. The person sitting next to me- a werewolf I think- scooted on closer and attempted to flirt with me. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of wet dog, rolled my eyes, and ignored him. "On second thought, give me a shot of whatever you have. Surprise me!" I say to the bartender and he smirks. "Slip anything in my drink and I'll have your pretty little faerie wings preserved in glass case," I add on, and he grumbles as sloppily pours me a shot of what smells like Jäger. I outta be flat out shit-faced in no time, I think happily.

I down the shot like a pro, then grab my martini and continue to squeeze my way to the dance floor. After finishing my drink, I plop the olive from my drink into my mouth and set my glass down on a nearby table, catching a glimpse of fiery red hair in the process. "Clary?" I asked even though I knew she couldn't hear me. I began to shove my way through the crowd until I got a clear view of her and this strange warlock with black spiky hair covered in glitter. It was definitely Clary. But why is she here? And where's Jace?

The man whispered something to her that caused her to turn and look at me. The expression on her face was that of a deer caught in headlights. i marched up to her and fired my questions.

"What the hell, Clary?! You shouldn't be here alone. Where's Jace?" I asked firmly, and only got a look of anger, mixed with sadness, and pain. What happened?

"I left him back by Central Park after he tried to pull some crap with me," she said and earned a sad smile from me. I crossed my arms, almost positive of where this was heading.

"What kind of crap?" I pushed. She sighed and looked down at her feet, which were still in the shoes I loaned her, as well as the dress.

"He kissed me and then tried to cop-a-feel," she said in embarrassment. I groaned and shook my head. Poor, innocent Clary.

"He does this all the time, I'm so sorry," I said to her and then continued to talk, but mainly to myself. "Can't he just stay with one girl? No! He has to try to get in her pants first!" My hands flailed as I spoke, showing my anger. "Where did he even take you? To Taki's?" I asked and she nodded. Something had to give. Jace isn't usually that rude and inconsiderate. Even a neanderthal could see that Clary was no expert with dating. Wait.

"Was your waitress a girl name Kaelie, by any chance? blonde hair, creepy blue eyes?" I asked with my hands on my hips. She looked up in confusion but nodded again. I nodded in response. "Look, Jace usually isn't that forward. I wouldn't be surprised if the little bitch drugged him."

"Well, she was rude to me the whole time we were there," Clary mutters and covers her face with her hands in frustration. My gaze shifted to the Asian guy with sparkly hair.

"Who are you?" I asked him I could tell he was a warlock, but there are a lot of warlocks here, so I asked anyways. At this point, Alec had found me and quietly listened to the exchange.

"Magnus Bane, but I don't remember inviting any Children of the Nephilim," he said in a tone that suggested he was thinking deeply about it. I held up the invitation and he took it from my hand to inspect it. When he was done he handed it to back me. "I must have been drunk," he said with a shrug. "But I'll let you stay," he said, addressing all three of us. "But only for the cute one."

Thinking he was talking about me, I thanked him kindly. He looked at me as if I were stupid.

"Not you, him," he says, pointing to someone behind me. I turn only to meet my brother's deep blue eyes. "See you around," he said to Alec as he passed him and disappeared from view. I shook off my laughter at Alec's discomfort. I've known that he was gay for a while, but I wouldn't say anything. It's his secret to tell.

Clary looked at me and took a deep breath. "What do you mean Jace was drugged? Why?"

"He and the waitress Kaelie have had a fling for a while and he goes to her any time he needs 'attention' or 'time to do manly things'," I say, using my fingers as quotation marks. "But all he really does is use her to get laid, but she's always running after him. It's sad. She's just crazy enough to drug him, just to sabotage your date, and have him running back to her. 'The Whore', and Alec and I refer to her as, has called me multiple times to pick up a wasted or hungover Jace when she's done with him. I know where we can find him."

Clary nods and sighs straightening up. and said "I guess we should go retrieve him," she says.

We had to take a cab all the way through Manhattan to get to the Bronx, where Kaelie lives. The cabbie dropped up off in a not-so-nice part of town and we had to walk a few blocks to get to her apartment complex. The three of us entered the building, went straight up the stair to the third floor. I stopped at the door at the end of the hallway and knocked. No answer, but the sounds coming from the apartment were not ones that I needed or wanted to hear. I knocked again, this time harder. After knocking several times and waiting with still no answer, I got fed up and back up a step, guiding Clary out of the way. In one swift move, my foot connected with the door right by the handle, the door banging open on its newly broken hinges. Oops.

We walked in a through a small entryway and emerged in a small, dingy living room. As we walked towards the back hallway, the moaning and grunting sounds grew in volume, making me want to vomit. I knocked on the closed bedroom door and the sounds died down a bit but didn't stop so I knocked again. This time there were some curses and the ruffling of sheets, and then the door opened slightly to have Jace's head pop out. He had a sheet loosely wrapped around his waist. I glared him down, silently telling him to explain himself. He did, happily as it seemed.

"Oh, the date was just great! Until kissed her," he said with a shit-eating grin and pointing at Clary. "But she didn't kiss me back so I dumped her and went to see my beautiful Kaelie," he said with a glance over his shoulder. My eyes followed his gaze into the bedroom, to the blonde faerie sitting up in bed, not bothering to cover anything. Her lips were moving. She's making him say this stuff, I realized.

I looked back at Clary, whose back was straight and eyes were on fire with rage. Alec was standing there, silently watching, eyes flickering from Clary to Jace and back again, waiting until he was needed to intervene for his parabatai. Seeing Clary like that made me proud, adding to the fuel in me as well. I looked at Jace, and in a deadly calm said one word.

"Apologize." He smirked and looked me in the eyes.

"Not a chance sis," he said to me, then his eyes shifted to Clary's fired up figure. "Why would I apologize to a scrawny little girl with snot eyes and a red hornets nest atop her head?" he said in a light, almost sweet tone, but it was anything but. Clary's eyes were wide in shock. He was playing with fire now and pushing the limits. "Clary honey, you're never going to make it in our world. You're scrawny, not to mention flat chested, weak, and stupid." I could see the tears in her eyes at that point, ready to completely spill over.

That was it. My fist connected with his face before my mind registered that I threw the punch. Jace stumbled back a little and his hand went to his eye. He's definitely going to have a shiner in the morning. Jace backed up and slammed the door in my face.

"Unbelievable!" I shouted. "Un-freaking-believable." The anger faded when I turned around to face Clary. Her face was a mess of streaming tears and smudged makeup. I took her in my arms awkwardly and hugged her close shushing her. I've never had a girl friend before, but this is how my mother used to hold me when I was upset. We barely got her down the stairs and outside onto the curb, almost tripping on the way.

When I finally got her to calm down enough to walk, Alec, Clary and I got up from the curb we were sitting at, and left Jace to his slut. The subway station was close by, only a few blocks, so we made it there in silence and picked our way through the homeless laying on the steps going down. We all swiped our metro cards and got comfy on a bench, waiting for the next train to Manhattan; it was past midnight and we were all tired. Even my feet were aching from my new boots.

When the train to Manhattan finally arrived, very few people were in the station with. We boarded the train and sat at the very end of the car, away from everybody else. The ride was longer than usual, seeing as how the train had "technical difficulties". What is usually a fifteen minute ride ended up taking an hour. The train stopped again, and when I looked at the signs, I realized that this was the stop before ours. I look over at Alec to see him looking around awkwardly with Clary fast asleep on his shoulder. She looked so much more peaceful and happier in her sleep, but I know that just means she's having a good dream. Good, the Angel knows she needs a good dream after today, I thought as the train pulled to our stop. I looked at my brother.

"Can you carry her?" I asked and he nodded, picking her up bridal style. Together we walked up and out of the station and into the streets where we navigated our way home. The blaring horns didn't stir Clary one bit, and neither did Alec's miscalculation of one of the front steps that almost ended up with him and a sleeping Clary on the ground. I opened the heavy wooden door for my brother, and made sure it locked after us, and did the same with the elevator grate. We rode up the main level, and soon arrived in the residential wing, where I helped Alec get Clary safely into her bed. After Alec placed her gently on the bed, I thanked him and he left.

"Thanks, Alec," I said and patted his arm, sending him out of the room. I searched and luckily found a pair of blue plaid pajama bottoms with a matching baby doll shirt and dressed her them. When she was clothed, I retrieved some makeup wipes from my room and gently wiped her face clean. Once she was ready for bed, though she was already asleep, I shut the lights out and left for my own beauty sleep.

Clary POV

I followed Izzy into Kaelie's run-down apartment and up to the bed room where some very primal sounds emanated from. I didn't even want to know what they were up to. After busting down the front door, and several knocks on the bedroom door, Jace answered, looking drunk and dirty. Izzy gave him a hard look and he immediately started to speak, letting the words tumble out without any sort of filter. Luke would say that he has a case of 'diarrhea of the words' with the way he's talking right now.

"Oh, the date was just great! Until kissed her, but she didn't kiss me back so I dumped her and went to see my beautiful Kaelie," he said with this stupid, drunk-looking grin. Not only did he say that he dumped me, which I believe was the other way around, but he called that- that whore he had in the other room beautiful, after he proclaimed that he loved me and called me beautiful. I guess that's all gone now. I wanted to scream at him, but I thought better of it and kept my mouth shut. I felt the tears start to well up, but I defiantly pushed them down and glared at him with all the hatred and rage that I could muster; it wasn't that hard. Izzy defended me, demanding he apologize, but when I expected one, I was just given a lash of insults to worsen the pain that was already there from the betrayal.

"Not a chance sis. Why would I apologize to a scrawny little girl with snot eyes-" "and a red hornets nest atop her head?" I know for a fact that my eyes are not snot-colored. They're emerald, like my mothers.

"-and a red hornets nest atop her head?" So what if my hairs a little frizzy? It's nothing new.

"Clary honey, you're never going to make it in our world." That was completely uncalled for. Who would say something like that?

"You're scrawny-" I'm slim, not scrawny, aren't I? He keeps slashing and slashing, pushing me down further into the hole that I dug just by saying yes.

"Not to mention flat chested-" It hurts. It really hurts. My anger that was once at its peak, is sizzling down with every word he utters, but the tears build up again.

"weak-" I am weak. I can't even stand up for myself; I'm letting him trample all over me. I deserve it.

"and stupid." The tears pour over.

I am weak, he's right, and I'm stupid, and scrawny, and ugly. I should have known that he was playing me all along, just trying to get me into his bed. The moment I pushed him away in that kiss, he was done. The tidal wave of this whole situation crashes into me like a semi-truck, collapsing all of my walls, letting everything flow out of me in defeat. Hyperventilated breaths are the only thing going in at the moment, and I can hardly see a thing around me.

I hear Izzy say something to him, but I can't make out the words. Just in my peripherals, I think that I see Izzy's arm fly out towards Jace, and I feel that much better. I hope she broke his nose, or something.

I hear the door slam shut and allow myself to fully let go, and the sobs instantly wrack my body. Before I could fall to the ground and curl up on myself, Isabelle wrapped me in a hug and comforted me. She made soothing noises to shush me, and she told me that things would be alright.

But things aren't all right. I'll still have to see him in training, every single day. I'll still see him during meals, or in the library, or just by passing chance. There's nothing that I can do about any of it. I can't just give up on being a shadowhunter- I want to finish it all. I have to.

When I managed to get myself together, I notice that we're all sitting on a curb somewhere in the Bronx in the middle of the night. I don't even remember coming outside. We left Jace to his loser girlfriend-if she could even be called that- and took the train home. Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep. I had no dreams, just a sweet blackness to drown out the past evenings events.


	7. Chapter 6

**sorry i've been kinda slow posting, i've had mcas which is kinda like finals or pretty much its state testing and i've had training for my figure skating show too which takes up my weekends so... ya... stuff happened in this chapter, so please don't kill me, there will be clace again! CLASE WILL LIVE ON! Previously:**

_When I managed to get myself together, I notice that we're all sitting on a curb somewhere in the Bronx in the middle of the night. I don't even remember coming outside. We left Jace to his loser girlfriend-if she could even be called that- and took the train home. Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep. I had no dreams, just a sweet blackness to drown out the past evenings events._

**Chapter 6:**

My dreams were all black. Normally, black seems to be the color of evil and fear and darkness, but in that moment, it felt like heaven. That's all it was: blackness, warm and comforting like the touch of a mother. I wandered around without any direction for a while when the room I was in disintegrated in a kaleidoscope, leaving me standing in my mother's living room. Why I was there was beyond me. My legs moved without my command and carried me throughout the apartment. When I neared the living room, I heard the chiming and trilling voice of a little girl singing a soft poem.

_"Black for hunting through the night__  
__For death and mourning, the colors white.__  
__Gold for a bride in her wedding gown,__  
__And red to call enchantment down.__  
__White silk when our bodies burn,__  
__Blue banners when the lost return.__  
__Flame for the birth of a Nephilim,__  
__And to wash away our sins.__  
__Gray for knowledge best untold,__  
__Bone for those who don't grow old.__  
__Saffron lights the victory march,__  
__Green will mend our broken hearts.__  
__Silver for the demon towers,__  
__And bronze to summon wicked powers."_

When the rhyme finished, the door opened and out came a younger version of me. She looked around the living room, but when she looked up, she didn't see me, even though I was right in front of her. She continued into the living room and towards the bathroom. There was the sound of running water coming through the door, and the little girl opened it, peeking in. A younger version of my mother stood in the bathroom, applying skin-colored make-up to black tattoo-like markings that I now recognized as runes. She looked up at the little girl- me- and smiled softly, though the look on her face was one of pure shock. She ushered young-me out of the bathroom and moved to close the door. As soon as the door clicked shut, I jolted up-right in bed.

I looked around, seeing that my room was dark. I reached over and turned on the lamp next to my bed that gave off a dim glow, just enough for me to see. I pulled my legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and resting my head on my knees in one of my favorite positions to think in.

_What does it mean?_ I asked myself. _It was just a dream- well, it could have been a memory. Was I remembering something that was stolen from me, when my mother sought out Magnus Bane?_ After playing around with the thought, I decided that it was definitely a memory.

When I looked at the clock, it read 5:20 a.m. If I were to go back to sleep, which I knew I wouldn't be able to, it would be useless since I have to get up in an about hour. It's Monday, so I have to get up at 6:30, while we are allowed to sleep in until 7:30 on a weekend. I got out of bed and saw that I was dressed in pajamas. Izzy must've changed me when we got home.

I gathered a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before locking myself in the bathroom to get ready. I turned on the shower, cranking it to a hotter temperature than I normally do. I quickly got undressed and into the scorching heat; it felt amazing. It was almost like I was washing the thoughts of Jace out of my mind, cleansing it of his presence. After I washed my hair out and scrubbed my body and face clean of the previous night's catastrophe, I got out and dressed. I wrestled a brush through my hair until I gave into it and braided it down the back. I scrubbed my teeth until the feeling of his lips was rubbed away, along with some skin on my gums, causing it to bleed a little. I wanted nothing at all to do with Jace anymore.

I grabbed my phone, which I just found buried in my bed sheets, and looked through the notifications. 13 missed calls, 4 texts from my mom, and 32 texts from Simon. He even texted me the entire alphabet to- one letter at a time, of course- just to annoy me into replying.

Mom: _Hey baby, how are you? Is training going well? Hello? Clary, please text me back,_ the messages read.

Me: _hey mom, im fine, things r great ill call u later!_ I texted back knowing full well I was lying and that things are far from great.3

Next I texted Simon, picking up on his last text

Simon: _"Clary, pick up the phone now."_ It was sent last night. Feeling guilty, I texted him right away.

_"Meet me Java Jones 8"_ I replied after peeking at the clock again. I had wasted a whole half. Everyone was probably waking up now. I peeked out into the hallway to make sure the coast was clear, and then walked across the hall to Izzy's room. I knocked lightly and I could hear her footsteps near the door. After opening the door, I see that she is already dressed for the day in black leggings and a pale pink over-sized sweater that hangs off her left shoulder.

"Can I come in?" I asked.

"Oh! Of course!" She smiled and walked back into her room with an inviting gesture. I closed the door behind myself and sat on her bed.

"What's up?" she asked with a smile.

"I want to go see a friend at 8 and was wondering if we could push back training a little?" I asked nervously, picking at the hem of my shirt.

"Yeah, sure. How are you feeling? Do you need anything else?" she asks kindly, peering at me through her thick eyelashes. I look down at my hands in my lap.

"Unless you wanna train me, no," I mumble grumpily. I hear a sigh and peek up to see Isabelle smiling a small, sad smile.

"Clary, of course I'll train you. After last night, I totally understand. We _will_ make him sorry. I promise," she said, now crouching right in front of me on an eye-to-eye level. I nodded. "Good," she said and patted me on the back. "Let's go get some breakfast," she said finally, and we left for the kitchen.

**Jace POV:**

I woke up in a bed, definitely not my bed, with a pounding head ache. I sat up slowly and looked around, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes with a yawn. _Shit_, I thought when I looked down. I was in Kaelie's bedroom, with her naked body next to mine. _Clary_! The thoughts came flooding back at me, the things I said and did to her. What was I thinking? I jumped out of the bed silently, trying not to wake up Kaelie. If I did, I don't think that she'd let me. I searched the room for my clothes, but only came up with my jeans, shirt, and shoes; where the hell did my boxers and socks go? As soon as I was dressed, I checked for my wallet and phone and left, barely noticing the broken front door.

**Clary POV:**

After Izzy and I had breakfast and chatted lightly, I grabbed my messenger bag and phone and left with a winter coat as it was exceptionally cold today. I caught a train to the northern part of Manhattan, close to where I used to live, and got off. I still had to walk a few blocks to Java Jones. Through the window, on a red velvet couch, Simon sat staring out the window, as if he were waiting for me. I waved shyly and quickly entered the café and sat next to him. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he spoke.

"Mind telling me where you've been?" he snaps. "You just dropped off the freakin' radars."

"I-umm. I've been out?" I replied in a question.

"And by out, do you mean up state taking care of your sick great Aunt Sally?" he asked in a sarcastic tone.

"No-what? Who told you that?" I played dumb.

"Your mom and Luke. I caught them in Luke's shop when I was retuning a book I borrowed," he said with an eye roll. Apparently he was serious, and obvious my mom is a horrible liar.

"Well, I'm here now and I do _not_ have a great Aunt Sally," I said firmly, hoping he wouldn't push the subject.

"Then where were you?" he asked calmly, with concern in his voice.

"Long story that I'd rather not get into," I said with a sigh. I slumped back in the couch and Simon scooted closer, taking my hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"I've got time. I always have time for you," he said with a caring smile. I quickly made up my mind and spilled my guts to him. I told him about Jocelyn and Luke's argument, and how I wasn't really sick when he showed up. I told him about the shadow world, the short version, and my crazy brother and father. I even told him a little about the Lightwoods, but I said nothing about Jace.

"You're telling me that your father who is actually alive, is also a psychopath, and you have a brother who is half demon. And your father had been searching for you?" he asked in disbelief. I nodded, hoping that he would believe me. "Oh my God… wow." He asked all sorts of questions about shadowhunters and downworlders, and I answered as best as I could. We caught up too, filling each other in, and after we finished our coffee, he spoke in a much more serious tone.

"Clary-" he cleared his throat. "Can I tell you something? Without you laughing, or anything?" he asks timidly.

"Of course, Si!" I say with a happy chuckle.

He heaved a big sigh and looked me in the eyes. "I really like you Clary. I have for a while…" he trails off and regains focus when I squeeze his hand, giving him an encouraging smile. I think that I know what's coming next. "Will you go out with me sometime? On a date," he stutters nervously. "Could we give it a shot, at least? Give _us _a shot," he finished firmly. When he finished, Jace's face popped up in my mind's eye. _Why? After last night, why do I still think of him?_ I didn't know, but he was with another girl, so why couldn't I be with another guy? It's not like he was my boyfriend or anything. And Simon actually cares for me? I can't lie to myself- I've always had a small romantic feeling for Simon.

I opened my mouth and simply said "Yes, I'll go out with you. But Simon, I know you, and I think we can skip the whole awkward dating phase, and jump ahead," I say, implying that I would like to be his girlfriend. I watched as a big smile lit up his face and he got up and hugged me and I returned the favor happily. When my head left his chest and looked up into his eyes, he let me go and before I knew it, his lips were pressed firmly and softly against mine and I found myself kissing him back.

It wasn't forceful like it was with Jace, but it wasn't necessarily free and soft either. It was very firm and it filled me with butterflies and warmth, as cliché as that sounds. When we stopped to catch our breaths, I looked up at him to see his grin had become bigger and his eyes were sparkling with happiness.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that," he said with one hand still cupped on my cheek sweetly, making me smile. Together, we exited Java Jones to walk back to the Institute, completely unaware of the golden set of eyes watching us.

**Jace POV:**

I started my trek back to the Institute where I thought I would find Clary. For some reason all I remember is leaving Taki's with her, the rest is all a blur, but I faintly remember that I said something to offend her. _I didn't have a drop of alcohol last night though, _I think as I exit the subway in upper Manhattan, close to where Clary used to live. If she didn't go back to the Institute, she might be around here, where she's comfortable.

I was walking on a busy street when I came upon a coffee shop called Java Jones. The rich aroma of freshly ground coffee wafted from the café, and I almost passed right by it when I caught the glint of red hair in the sunlight, making it a fiery flame of curls. It was Clary, sitting on a couch next to a brown-haired boy with over-sized glasses and a nerdy shirt. _She can do so much better than him_. The kid was lanky with absolutely no muscle, and I can't fathom what a beautiful girl like Clary is doing with a rat-faced kid like him. He said something while scratching the back of his neck like an idiot. He's probably never even kissed a girl before. Clary was smiling and when she replied, his smiled stretched from ear to ear and he pulled her into an embrace that made me uncomfortable. He held her with one hand on her back and one positioned on the back of her neck in an intimate gesture, holding her to him. My hands clenched into a rock-hard fist that itched to make contact with those ugly glasses.

I sighed in relief when Clary pulled away from him, then I groaned and punched the wall when Rat-face pulled her in for a kiss. I hissed in pain and rubbed my scratched up knuckles, turning away and walked a little a ways so I wouldn't have to watch them.

I wanted to go in there and rip them apart, and I probably would have if I hadn't walked away. Then I would have kissed her, and told her how I really feel, and then maybe, just _maybe _she would leave with me, be mine... I felt a pang of something I've never felt before and couldn't put a name on it which frustrated me- a lot. Soon they emerged from the café hand in hand, making me want to punch the kid where the sun don't shine, but I used all the self restraint that I could not to. They walked off, blending into the crowd and I silently followed them, trailing them closely and thinking of all the ways I could get rid of the stupid boy that seemed to have a hold on my Clary.

* * *

**Ok please don't kill me! climon is only going to last maybe another chapter or two! then there is going to be lots of ****clace! i promise! and tell me what you think of this story so far and your favorite part! please review and follow and favorite! **

**Tori- xoxo**


	8. Chapter 7

**hey my little merplings! sorry i didn't update for a while! i went to california and didn't have wifi so i couldn't do anything but write... so... on with the story!**

* * *

Simon walked me back to the Institute, where he kissed me good-bye. I won't lie, though things are still in that awkward new-relationship stage, kissing him felt great. He walked me to the door and we said our good byes before I entered and drifted through the cavernous halls. I went to my room after grabbing an apple from the kitchen, getting ready for training with Izzy in between bites. I quickly finished the ripe fruit and threw the core in my tiny trash can. After pulling on some plain black athletic shorts and a t-shirt, brushing my teeth, and putting on deodorant, I headed out to the training room where I found Izzy viciously tossing throwing stars at a target. I looked at Izzy's handiwork upon entering to see she that had gotten two in its eyes and 6 centered in the chest of the dummy. I let the door close behind me and the thud echoed through out the large room, ringing in my ears like an annoying ringtone. Izzy looked up at me and smiled.

"Ready?" she asked a little breathlessly and I nodded. "So what happened with your 'friend'?" she asked with a suspicious smirk while wiggling her eye brows. She must have caught on to my overly happy face and knew that something happened.

"I have a boyfriend," I said cheerily and went to the weapons room with my hands behind my back and a hop in my step to go along with the smile plastered on my face. When I entered the room I grabbed some throwing knives and stuffed them into the utility belt I had put on. I exited to find that Izzy had cleared the dummies for me. She moved me to the red line marked as the appropriate distance and told me to 'show her what I have'. Without instruction, might I add.

I missed every singly time, all knives flying past the dummy or not even making it far enough and sticking point down into the scuffed-up wood. She came over and helped position my body and arms. She had me stand in a position similar to the one I used for sword fighting and told me to twist my body as I threw. Izzy also taught me to hold the knife by pinching the blade and throwing like a baseball to give it a spin with more force so when it hits the target, it sticks. I threw again and it was definitely closer. After about maybe 6 more daggers and almost giving up in frustration, I finally got one into the right shoulder, albeit the dagger was barely hanging on. The next stuck a little more steadily into the lower left abdomen of the foam-person. I was definitely getting better. I didn't hit the targets, but each one hit the dummy and that was enough for me.

I was aiming when the door opened, causing me to jump and throw the knife spasmodically, and somehow it hit the dummy dead in center of the chest on the red bulls-eye. I look over to see that Jace stood there with his arms at his sides and a curious look in his eyes. He looked at me with shock at what I had just done, and I'm sure I was just as surprised. Using it to my advantage, I smirked and said the first snarky comment that came to mind.

"Izzy makes a great trainer, doesn't she?"I give a sour smile and nodded as I pushed past Jace and down the hall. Once I was alone in my room I jumped onto my bed and groan into the pillow in annoyance and frustration. Seeing him eventually frustrated me to the point of tears. I wasn't sobbing or anything, but my frustration always gets the best of me. The more I thought about him and his gorgeous curls and honey-eyes, the fatter the tears became. I head for my private bathroom, hoping that a hot shower will calm my nerves. The hot water cascaded through my hair and down my back, washing away the sweat from practice. Though the water felt absolutely amazing, it did nothing to ease the sadness I feel in the pit of my stomach, and I give in to the tears. _Hopefully crying will help like people say it does. _After sitting with the water running over me, crying silently, the tears lessen bit by bit. _Why am I crying?_ I think to myself as I slowly rise from the shower floor and turn off the water._ I have Simon, my best friend. I don't need Jace. _I got out, toweled my self off, and got dressed.

Since I still have a half hour until lunch, I sit down and take out my sketch book, drawing whatever comes to mind. Somehow, in the very back of my head, I realize that I just called Simon my _best friend_, instead of my _boyfriend, _but I ignore it.

**Jace's POV**

I was walking down the hallway when I heard a series of light grunts coming from the training room. When I came closer to the door, assuming that it was just Izzy training, realize that there is a second set of noises. Maybe Clary really is continuing her training with Isabelle instead of me?

Whatever happened last night, it was bad and I know I need to apologize and get on better terms with Clary. Once we make up, I have to figure out who that kid was from this morning. I stroll up to the training room door and as I thought about Clary and rat-face, my confusion turned to an anger that boiled inside me. I pushed it down and locked it away from sight while opening the door. My eyes land on Clary who throws a sharp, sleek dagger that hits the target-dummy dead in the center with a dull thud. I froze in shock and stared; the girl couldn't even hold a sword a day ago and now she's hitting a bull's-eye with knives. I stood in the door way, mouth gaping and all, when she suddenly smirked and turned to look at me.

"Izzy makes a great teacher, doesn't she?" Clary said, finalizing my earlier thoughts about being replaced with Izzy. She sauntered around me with a cocky sway to her hips, and down the hall out of my sight. Her attitude also finalized the need inside of me to patch things up between us. I want to be her friend even if it never becomes anything more, but I wont know until I try.

**Clary POV**

I was sitting on my bed drawing and daydreaming when a knock on my door made me jump back to the present. I checked the time, seeing that I had missed lunch and a lot of my afternoon. It was now approaching 3:30. There was another knock, this one more persistent than the last, so I called out to the guest, wondering who it could be.

"Who is it?" I called. There was a pause so I looked back down at my drawing, assuming that the person went away.

"Clary, it's me," an all-too-familiar voice rang through the thick wood of my door. "Jace!" My hands ceased their drawing and I tensed noticibly. I quickly grabbed a shoe from under my bed and threw it at the door. It hit with a loud band and then bounced off to land on the floor.

"Go away!" I yelled to accompany the shoe.

"No! Clary, I need to talk to you," he pleads with me.

"There is nothing to talk about Jace!" I call in a tired voice in an attempt to get him to leave me alone.

"Yes there is!" He yelled back defiantly. I got up to rip open the door that he just so happened to be leaning against. He was not expecting the door to open, so my little surprise caused him to almost stumble inside. He righted himself and looked down on me with wide, honey-colored eyes.

"Clary, please just hear me out. I know what I did the other night was wrong on so many levels, but you have to under stand that I really, _really _like you. Probably more than I should. I'm so sorry about what happened last night. Could you possibly give me another chance? We can even just be friends, if that's what will make you happy. Please," by the time he finishes, both of my hands are tenderly cupped by his in a desperately sweet attempt to sway my decision.

I sigh and give him an optimistic look before looking down and our hands, deciding what to do. Can I trust him enough to give him another chance? Probably, especially if last night wasn't his fault. Isabelle said that it was likely that Kaelie drugged him. _Go for it, _I slightly nod to myself, then look up into Jace's gorgeous, smoldering eyes. A single nod on my part made his face light up with a smile and happiness, like a child who was just given a box of candies. I however, was more cautious but a little excited to see how this goes.

"Jace, if you mess up again, I _will_ give you something to be sorry for," I said slowly, causing his smile to crease into a flat line.

"I'll see you at 11, okay?" he said softly and turned to leave before saying, almost as an after thought, "Izzy is waiting for you in the library."

He quickly walked down the hall and around the corner. I glance at the clock and silently curse myself for forgetting about my tutoring; it's 3:55, and I was supposed to be in the library ten minutes ago. I quickly slip on a pair of shoes and pull on a jacket while running down the halls like a bat out of hell.

When I arrived at the library, I slipped in, only to find Izzy sitting on one of the large plush couches, nose deep in a book. I laughed silently at that, happy to find something we both had in common: reading. She looked up and smiled kindly before looking back down at her book to mark the page. I went over and took a seat next to her, sitting sideways with my legs crossed so I was facing her.

"Today, we're going to learn a little bit about runes!" she says in a mock-cheerful voice, like a teacher. "If you do well, we might even try some on, OK?" She giggled at her own antics and I joined in with a smile.

"Perfect." With that, we began. She gave me the library's copy of the Grey Book, that ironically had a _green _velvet color, and a few pieces of paper and a pencil. She briefly went over the history of runes and how they came to be before showing me them and explaining what each does. She had me practice all of the most important runes, which I did perfectly since I have a natural talent for art. When we were done, I had learned the clairvoyance, angelic power, speed, healing, and soundless runes. When we were done, I helped Izzy who was putting away the books we used.

"Izzy?" I asked timidly.

"Yeah?" she reaches up and slides a book into place above her head

"Where might I find Jace?" She almost drops the book in her hand. She sets it down and turns on me with an incredulous look on her face.

"Why do you want to know? He's been nothing but an asshole!" she said and turned back to continue shelving books.

"He apologized today… and said he wanted a second chance," I say. "And I'm giving it to him. He wasn't really being an ass, he was drugged so it wasn't his fault."

"Yeah I guess so," the other girl said. "You should be able to find him in the music room." I thanked her and went to the door but then I remembered that I don't evem know where the music room is. With one hand on the door knob, I turned and asked.

"Where is the music room?" Isabelle chuckles and I shrug when she looks up at me.

"4th floor, 5th door on your left," she said.

I left with a smile plaguing my lips. I went down the stairs, only two flights down to the resident wing. When I entered the hallway, a beautiful melody was audible from the far end of the hallway. I love the piano. I continued walking until the sound got louder and louder. I opened the door that was the loudest and found Jace playing at the piano with his back turned to the door. I was trying to be quiet so he wouldn't stop playing, but when I stepped forward, the floorboards creaked, causing him to cock his head to the side in question.

"Alec? Is that you?" he asked but as he spoke, a wrong note was hit, followed by another and a cursing Jace. His fists slammed down on the keys with an ugly sound.

"Whoa now, what did that piano ever do to you?" I say boldly, stepping forward into one of the beams of sun light to his side. He had his elbows propped up on the music stand and was biting his thumb nail. The sunlight also flooded in like a spot light on him, creating a glowing halo of golden hair. He looks up and me with an unreadable facial expression, so I press on, trying to get him to talk.

"You play as if you lost your one true love," I murmur and delicately run my hand over the keys, wishing that I could have learned to play when I was younger.

"Unfortunately, my one true love remains myself," he says with a smirk playing on his lips.

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about rejection," I say in an amused voice.

"Not necessarily; I turn myself down once in a while to keep it interesting." The funny part is that he seems absolutely serious.

"Oh, well that's your problem then," I say lightly. He sighs and actually answers my first question, which shocks me.

"The problem is that I play with too much compassion," he says in a slightly irritated voice. I look at him questioningly.

"Music is supposed to have compassion, you know." He gives a lazy sigh and stands up.

"Come on, I want to show you something," he says and leads me down another floor and into the kitchen.

"You want to show me food?" I ask dubiously. If this is his idea of a date, then he needs a reality check.

"What? No. Pick out some food and put it in the bag," he said, pulling a large paper bag from a drawer and setting it on the counter. I browsed the cupboards and fridge, but there was next to nothing for actual food.

"Uh, can we order out? There isn't much in here," I asked. He nodded with a small smile, a genuine one might I add, and pulled out some menus.

"How about Chinese?" he asks politely. Good thing I love Chinese food.

"Sure," I replied with a shrug and he handed me a menu while dialing the phone to order. I quickly looked over the menu and realize that I've been to the restaurant before with Simon. _Simon. I can't believe I'm giving Jace another chance while Simon sits on the sidelines._

"Sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, and beef teryaki," I whispered to him. He nodded and ordered into the receiver. While we waited, we made small talk, and he learned some about me, and I'm sure that when I mentioned Simon, he visibly cringed and grimaced, but I have no clue why. When the food arrived, Jace had me stay put while he ran downstairs to get the food.

Now that we had our food, Jace took me to the elevator and we rode up to the 6th floor, the highest floor in the Institute. The elevator grate opened into some sort of garden. Upon closer inspection, I saw that there was a ginormous dome that went hundreds of feet in the air and covered the entire garden are. He led me down a cobbled pathway to an open area like a small meadow. On the way there, I saw all sorts of vines growing on the walls, trees with flowers, moss, bushes, fruits and herbs in all different colors and they looked foreign to me. Oddly, mixed in between them all were trees that looked plain and boring, so unlike the rest. I looked closer at some of the flowers only to find there were butterflies or some sort of beautiful creatures fluttering around, and fireflies danced around in the air, making the whole scene magical. My hands twitched with a longing to draw the images in front of me but that would have to wait.

Jace layed down a blanket than he had brought with him, and as we ate, all I could think about was how normal it felt to be here with him.

**Jace POV**

I took Clary's hand and joy spread through me when she did not reject it. I lead her into the green house and watched as she took it all in and her face lit up. I couldn't wait till midnight, when the flowers that only grow in Idris will bloom. Even I am awed by them and I just know that Clary will be too. I wondered if she would be as amazed as I was when I was 11 and Maryse took Alec, Iz and I up here to watch the flowers bloom. I looked around and led her to a small clearing of grass near one of the many water fountains with an apple in my hand. I pulled out the pocket knife when Clary wasn't looking and cut the apple in half, sticking a candle in it. I tucked it back out of sight again and got to work laying out a blanket and setting the Chinese food out as well. When I was done I looked up to see Clary studying one of the many tiny tree frogs. I smiled and called her over to eat.

**Clary POV**

Jace and I finished our meal and by then, it was just a few minutes to midnight. I stood up and wandered around, committing the scenery to memory for later, while Jace silently following me behind. We walked slowly side by side, out hands occasionally brushing, but Jace soon took my hand and lead the way. He led me up a spiral stair case that lead to nowhere, ending in mid air. He sat down on the step below me, so we were at eye-level with each other. I looked up at him in puzzlement and he just held up a finger, telling me to wait.

Somewhere in the city, or even the Institute itself, a bell rang loud and clear, signaling the midnight hour. I looked around, and when my eyes landed on the fountain set near the foot of the stairs, I was shocked speechless. From the flowing water fountain came specks of gold mingled in with the streams of water. When a stream hit the pool underneath, the flecks splashed up, free of water, and floated into the air, being blown around by an invisible breeze. The golden dust settled in the air, giving everything a sheen of gold. It's simply beautiful.

Then a movement catches my eyes, and just as the bell finishes chiming, those 'ordinary' trees began blooming, vines of leaves and flowers falling out of once unnoticed bulbs. They unravel like a yo-yo in a cascade of soft blue, with lights that look like tiny fireflies nestled in the center of each flower. The trees are everywhere, the vine-like flowers giving them the appearance of a Weeping Willow, and the whole greenhouse seems to come alive with light and golden pixie-dust, and beautiful plants with the sweetest of aromas.

I hear a soft _flick _from below me, where Jace now sits with his back to me. I try in vain to peek over his shoulder, but he doesn't let me, and keeps the object in his hands hidden. Finally, Jace turns around, but whatever he holds is behind his back. He stands up and offers his free hand to help me, and I take it and stand on wobbly knees- all of the events of the evening have given me a buzz, an amazing euphoria running through me. With my hand still in Jace's, he brings out the object from behind his back.

"Happy Birthday, Clary," he murmurs as I stare at the apple in his hand. I look up at him in amazement, how did he even know? I close my eyes and think hard, making a wish.

_Please let this be real, let this last. Don't let Jace go back to his old self._ I blow out the candle and smile up at the golden boy above me.

"You know, you didn't have to get me anything," I say quietly, afraid that if I speak, this perfect moment will break. I don't want it to end.

"Nonsense. Every one deserves something on their birthday. Oh, and-" he started and reached into his pocket to pull out a big rock that seemed to dimly glow. He placed it in my hand it the light flared to life, temporarily stunning me.

"You know that when a girl says that she wants a big rock, she doesn't literally mean a 'big rock'," I laugh at this, but I examine the glowing rock, seeing unfamiliar runes carved into it.

"It's a witch-light, or a rune stone. It will give you light in your darkest of times," he says as he tucks a stray lock behind my ear tenderly. My face flares up like the witch-light, the proximity is breath-taking.

He then turned around to go back down the stairs. It took me a moment to process his words, but when I did, I followed in his steps. As I descended the last three step, my luck caught up to me. My foot got nicked on a stray vine, sending me flying. For a split second my stomach drops in free fall and I think that I'm going to fall on my face, but I am caught by a pair of strong, warm arms. I looked up at him and we both stood frozen for a split second, green gazing into gold. My eyes shifted curiously to his lips, just for a split second, but he saw. His head slowly tilted down towards mine and my breath hitched in my throat and I felt as if I was going to suffocate. I managed to suck in a breath just before his lips crashed into mine. His soft lips moved in perfect synchronization with mine, hard and soft, fast and slow. It was the perfect kiss, and I don't know if it was because he wasn't drugged or because I just really liked him, but this kiss made me tingle all over and it just felt _right._

Too bad the sprinkler system decided to go off and break us apart. We were both breathing heavily with huge smiles on out faces. Jace spins me around quickly and kisses me once more before setting me down on my feet, but never letting go of my hand. We both laugh, high off happiness and stolen kisses in the greenhouse, our special place.

"I think its time we go," Jace says and takes off his leather jacket, handing it to me like a gentle man. I take it and slip my arms in the too-long sleeves, snuggling it to me, breathing deeply to memorize the soft scent that is Jace. I can't get enough.

"I agree," and with that he gently led me out of the green house and into the main hall ways of the Institute. We walked in perfectly comfortable silence, both of us mulling over the past few hours together, hand-in-hand and grins spread from ear to ear. All too soon, we make it to the heavy wooden door of my bedroom. I lean against the door and Jace rests an arm next to my head, leaning in and kissing me once, twice, three more times. Before saying good night and leaving.

After I shut my door behind me, I float over to the round hanging chair and settle in it, still hugging Jace's warm jacket to me. My mind drifts and I have to force myself to focus on the situation at hand: Jace and Simon. After God-knows how long, I change into my pajamas and crawl into bed with Jace's jacket, a firm conclusion cemented into my mind.

_I love Simon; he's my best friend and he always will be. But he is too much like a brother, and I'm not_ in_ love with him. Jace cares for me so much, it's easy to tell, and I like him a lot, and not in a brotherly way. Our time in the greenhouse was amazing, and care free, and magical. I never wanted it to end._

_Is this what love feels like?_

As horribly unfair as is it, I have to tell Simon that I'm sorry.

* * *

**who liked it?! **

**ok, so when this story is done, i think i will do another ****story with an OC pov about what if the shadow world was exposed... i think i would add feds and the CIA and maybe some area 61? lol i think it would be a good idea and see the OC's stuggle to get people to believe her and then... yup... shadow hunters exposed and chaos! **

**do you think that idea? well... until next time, please review, favorite, and follow!**

**thank you!**

**~Tori**


End file.
